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Our shelves are full of books written by local and independent authors, folks who have chosen to self publish or to work with a publisher outside of the big national conglomerates.

In support of their efforts, we are pleased to present the following selections currently on sale at Book Revue...

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They're Fake and They're Spectacular

by Judy San Roman

Our Price: $15.00

One woman's story about facing your fears head on and dealing with life and death with passion and courage.

"Judy San Roman's gift for explaining all the details of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in down-to-earth terms is only matched by her compassion for others experiencing the same journey. Her courage in sharing the truth of her darkest hours as well as her life-affirming joys fill the book with authenticity, and that, coupled with the wealth of medical information and first-hand advice on every page, will inspire and educate women at the same time. Knowing Judy, a radiant beauty inside and out, makes me a better person, and her commitment to helping women navigate all the emotional and physical aspects of this disease makes the world a better place." - Antonia Felix, Author and Editor.

Patients are dying at Washington Memorial Hospital and no one knows why…. Nurse Chloe Bennett is a dedicated healer. Her job means everything to her, and she needs it to support her family. When she finds herself in the middle of yet another Code Blue, she questions the unexplained deaths. Doctor Brad Markson is a world renowned cardiac surgeon. Brilliant, powerful, and sinfully sexy! He does not tolerate losing patients. When his patient mysteriously dies, he looks for answer. The two work together to unravel the sinister events surrounding the deaths at Washington Memorial Hospital, and soon find themselves fighting for their lives in this fast paced, erotic thriller. When Chloe becomes the center of suspicion, she is surprised to find she has an ally in the gorgeous Dr. Markson. Shy, sweet Chloe is unable to resist him with his sultry blue eyes and wickedly sexy smile. His passionate kisses ignite her body, and his mere touch induces shivering pleasure. She doesn't know if she’s ready to give away her heart after her traumatic past, and Brad is battling career demons of his own. Can the two learn to trust each other? Will they live long enough to find love and happiness…or will there be two more deaths?

In the closing days of the Galactic Revolutions of Eurania, Lord Walmsley must pit his militia, the Greyban Corps, against the powerful Belaanian People's Army of General Mapooly in an effort to rescue the captured High Priest of the Great Temple.

Where is the Monseigneur being held? What does General Mapooly want with a pacifist religious leader? What does Mapooly have in store for the survivors of the long and brutal war?

For Lord Walmsley, it is a mission that will change the course of his life.

Thericia, Princess of the planet Alscras, was only sixteen. She was not involved in the world of interstellar politics, as her older brother, the Crown Prince, was. She was like a younger version of her mother, staying home day after day, finding ways to make herself useful with state dinners, riding exhibitions, and other public relations opportunities.

Was she prepared to leave the comfort of her circle of attendants and their trivial pursuits to join the Prince of the Gearmlian confederation in his dealings with the sinister Lady Ludzenia?

The Emperor — her father — would never approve of this course of action. If he knew.

Her riding haissen, Torrence, stood at attention, awaiting whatever direction she decided to follow. Did she truly belong in her parlor, or did she belong in a bigger world? One thing she knew.

“If I don’t help the Prince,” she said to Torrence, “Lady Ludzenia will become the leader of the confederation. That would mean trouble for my father, and for the empire.” She looked out the door, this time at the larger world outside, and with slow steps, led Torrence out of the stable. “Let’s go.”

SUKI tells the story of Savannah, an independent go getter who allows fear to keep her from being completely happy, and Dwayne, a softhearted ex-Marine with a talent for creativity. The couple is destined to find each other and carry out a preordained agreement made long before their human feet enter this Earthly plane. Their connection is tangible and their lives easy — until they are presented with one challenge that shakes them to their cores. The couple's subsequent struggle to make sense of their imploding world comes to a head in the epilogue, where a shocking secret is revealed in an overdue letter.

We all assume we know what love is, but think again. It comes in many shapes and sizes. If you knew ahead of time that you’d never see “happily ever after”, would you choose to live at all for the sake of love? Read more at ReadSUKI.com.

CF Winn flexes her story telling muscle and shows us why she is an award winning author. SUKI will grab your heart and make you think about your place… and your purpose in this world.

CF Winn is a freelance writer of blogs and short stories when she's not training others in the art of Market Research. Her day job has led her to places that few of us know exist. Worlds where eccentricity is the norm and even sometimes embraced. Led by several off kilter muses, CF has been graciously guided into the awards arena, most notably, Wordsmitten Storycove for her flash fiction story, “Sunday Drives Done Mojo Style.”

CF Winn is the founder of Winning! Publications, a firm specializing in editing and promotion services for authors. Her latest project is the just released Trailer Trash, With a Girl’s Name, a hilarious and heartwarming story of a boy saddled with a girl’s name and forced into a nomadic existence. Ms. Winn lives in New York with her three brilliant children and is a regular contributor to HumorOutcasts.com and The Lindenhurst Patch.

Sometimes to move forward, we need to go back to where it all began. A forgotten but familiar walkway, a lost but savored taste, a forsaken but blessed breath... and suddenly the layers of life seem to make sense again. The key is to find your own healing roots.

On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the south shore of Long Island, New York. Many of the poems in Healing Roots were written during the clean-up process. That process could not have occurred without the love, support and energy of family and friends.

Through yoga postures, a mom and daughter team travels the world. They meet a prince and princess, see a leprechaun, visit Tuscany, the South of France, and still make it home for Thanksgiving.

"We all want our children to have tools to survive and 'get ahead' in this world. What better time to start than when they are young, teaching them values and giving them experiences that will carry them through life? Adventures of Mom & Daughter Yoga provides a very fun way for a parent and child to stay connected, and a way to start your child on a meditative path from a very young age. This is the type of experience that will give your child a good foundation to relate to the 'Inner Teacher' and a good resource to go to whenever he or she needs guidance. I am very proud of the work Rochelle has done."
– Sat Nam. Tej Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles, CA

"In [Adventures of] Mom & Daughter Yoga, Rochelle Katzman has created a program for mothers and daughters to experience a more enriched, joyful relationship with each other and gain all the wonderful benefits of yoga at the same time. With Rochelle's book and cards in hand, healthy fun and deeper connections between moms and daughters abound!
– Shakta Khalsa, Founder & Director of Radiant Child Yoga.

"As a mom and a full time massage therapist, it is important for me to take care of my own wellness. Each week, my daughter and I read one chapter and do the yoga postures from Adventures of Mom & Daughter Yoga and play the yoga cards game, Adventure of Mom & Daughter Yoga Cards. The book and yoga cards game are wonderful. It has given me time to relax and spend quality time alone with my daughter."
– Joy Anne, Mom, Long Island, NY

"Rochelle, you're the best yoga teacher ever! I always look forward to Tuesdays so I can spend time with my mom doing yoga."
– Diana, 8 years old, Port Washington, NY

Seth is laid off from work. His wife Lara just found out they are expecting a baby this summer. Seth plans on documenting the entire pregnancy with his brand new digital camcorder. During an evening home watching television, the news reports that a swarm of cicada (Brood Ten) are expected to overwhelm the entire Northeast. Brood Ten is vicious and ready to invade. During a sweltering summer night, Brood Ten emerges and wreaks havoc with the electric grid, phone and cell service, wi-fi, food and water supply. Civilization as they know it is gone. Seth and Lara are thrown back to the stone age in their own home with trillions of cicada trying to deposit their eggs and breed. Fast paced and filled with tension, Brood Ten is the perfect summer read when you’re sitting outside listening to the cicadas sing.

Michael Phillip Cash is a found footage fanatic. Brood X is his first horror novel. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children. Read more at MichaelPhillipCash.com and BroodTen.com.

Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side. His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with horror writing. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children. Stillwell is his second novel. Read more at MichaelPhillipCash.com and twitter.com/michaelpcash.

Seventeen year old Arielle is at a crossroads in her life. Disenchanted with her father, she is testing the boundaries of his trust by dating someone he does not approve. Under the moonlit sky in Long Island, Arielle and her boyfriend meet beneath the infamous hanging tree. The couple's destiny is rooted to the five spirits in the tree whose lives and deaths are determined by an ancient curse. Will her future be determined by the past or will Arielle's choices alter the course of her life?

Michael Phillip Cash has crafted an intense novella that questions whether we are the victims of events beyond our control or do we have the power to determine our own future. This is Cash's first novella and is loosely based on a tree with a haunted past on the North Shore of Long Island. His other novels, Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion, and his bestselling novel, Stillwell: A Haunting of Long Island, are receiving rave reviews. Cash lives on Long Island with his wife and two children. Read more at MichaelPhillipCash.com and twitter.com/michaelpcash.

Julie and Brad Evans are house flippers. They buy low, clean out the old occupants junk, and try to make a profit. Enter Hemmings House on Bedlam Street in scenic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Too good a deal to pass up, but with an ominous secret. The old Victorian Mansion has dwellers that do not want to be dispossessed. As the house reveals it's past, will the couples marriage survive The Flip?

Michael Phillip Cash is an award winning and best selling author of horror, paranormal, and science fiction novels. Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island, The Hanging Tree, and Schism: The Battle for Darracia have all been named to Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Awards. Cash currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children. Read more at MichaelPhillipCash.com and twitter.com/michaelpcash.

Remy Galway and her daughter Olivia are rebuilding their life after a failed marriage in a 300 year old cottage in historic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Little do they know, another occupant is lurking in the haven of their own home. Will the After House be their shelter or their tomb?

"Cash delivers another emotionally rich haunted house tale filled with tantalizing history and Long Island color. The story is often quite funny, the supernatural and romantic elements seesaw back and forth nicely, and the historical scenes enliven both aspects. A charming, uplifting paranormal romance." — Kirkus Review

Award winning author Michael Phillip Cash adds The After House to his growing list of titles. Within two years, this prolific writer has published eight novels and four screenplays. Cash loves to write about Long Island, NY, it's rich history and ghostly inhabitants. When not writing, he loves being with his wife and two children exploring the small villages along the North Shore of Long Island. Read more at MichaelPhillipCash.com and twitter.com/michaelpcash.

Grace and Grit: Insights to Real-Life Challenges of Aging for Adult Children and Their Parents

by Fritzi Gros-Daillon

Our Price: $12.95

You are not alone... The challenges of moving from one home to the next are frequently faced by two generations — seniors and their adult children.

This book of compelling stories about this later-in-life event, often unexpected in its timing and scope, delivers points of view from the parents, adult children and professional move managers. You will laugh and cry as you discover your loved ones, your friends and just regular people dealing with the real life issues of communication, personal possessions and sharing memories. You will see love, compassion, disappointment, perseverance, and truly share the grace and grit exhibited in these true stories.

Fritzi Gros-Daillon, CEO and founder of Household Guardians, is a highly successful entrepreneur in senior move management, environmental consulting and the aging-in-place home safety field. Her education, licenses and certifications combined with 30 years of business experience allow her perspective and expertise to facilitate the imptrtant changes in the lives of her clients and their families. The goal is the ability to maximize their time in the home environment of their choice while minimizing the stress and worry. Read more at HouseholdGuardians.com.

On February 8, 2006, Frank Vetro, the young, popular principal of a school in eastern Long Island, saw his life dramatically altered. On that day, he was arrested and effectively labeled a terrorist who had hidden under the guise of a New York educator.

In Standing on Principal, he shares his personal story, detailing his arrest, his nights in jail, the court proceedings, and the subsequent fight to clear his name after the alleged scandal was nurtured into the national limelight. Now he recounts the injustice, and the lack of integrity of individuals who allowed the destruction of his life without a moment's concern for fairness or truth.

Telling a real-life story of deception and scandal, Standing on Principal exposes rogue elements of a system that underestimated the tenacious character of its accused and shows how Vetro sacrificed everything as he refused to be intimidated by a political machine.

Frank Vetro is an Italian American from eastern Long Island. He pursued a career in education, making a rapid rise to become an educational leader in Hampton Bays, NY. In February 2006, his promising future came to a screeching halt. Read more at FrankVetro.com.

The Other Side of the Island: 52 Spots to Explore Long Island's Natural Places

by M.C. Hayes

Our Price: $14.95

The Other Side of the Island: 52 Spots to Explore Long Island's Natural Places is the essential guide for exploring nature on Long Island. It covers 52 different nature preserves through the seasons, discussing local plants and animals, natural history and ultimately our ongoing relationship with nature.

The book is for people interested in exploring Long Island's natural places. Each chapter covers a different nature preserve on Long Island. Starting in spring and going through the year, the book illustrates the subtle changes going on in the natural world as the seasons progress. The different locations serve as examples of the various habitats found on Long Island.

The Other Side of the Island explores areas untouched by development and places reclaimed by nature after farming, dredging, building and other types of human intervention. In discussing these places, the book examines our relationship with nature. The book covers plants, animals and habitats common on and, in some cases, unique to Long Island. The book includes maps, photographs and leaf illustrations.

The Other Side of the Island is a valuable guide for every hiker, camper, beachcomber, bird watcher, flower fanatic and tree hugger living on Long Island.

M.C. Hayes lives in Massapequa, Long Island, NY and loves exploring the outdoors. Read more at WildLongIsland.com.

Forty-two and feeling not-so-fabulous, Lucy Banks allows her older sister to talk her into accompanying her twenty-four-year-old niece on a trip around Europe. In the past year, she has lost her fiancé, her job and her fertility. Embracing her role as spinster aunt seems to be Lucy’s only option, until she embarks on a romantic adventure through London, Amsterdam, Munich, Paris and Florence. Will a room with a view and a handsome stranger be enough to open her heart and mind to new experiences? Tales From A Broad promises to draw readers into a light-hearted tale of emotional development, self-discovery and love.

Jeannine Henvey, a Long Island native, graduated magna cum laude from Hofstra University with a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. After graduate school she moved to Manhattan where she mastered the art of job hopping. She finally landed in publishing where she had a long stint as a promotional writer for many popular women’s magazines.

Jeannine backpacked around Europe with three of her friends in between undergrad and grad school. Whether in a youth hostel, on the EuroRail, sitting in a pub, or at a sidewalk cafe, she kept a journal throughout the two month trip. Over the years, she had come across the book and put it away, knowing that one day she would do something special with it. It was that journal that inspired her to write Tales From a Broad.

When she's not traveling the world with her fictitious characters, Jeannine is happily grounded with her husband and three children on Long Island.

A Force for Good

by Samuel Muggington

Our Price: $12.05

Clown’s baby brother was shot and killed at the Courts in East Harlem. Everyone thought that thugs from the Original Young Gangsters (OYG) did it, but they couldn't be sure. It seemed like no one could stop the violence until a group of teens took matters into their own hands and formed the Force for Good (FFG). Using their wits, survival skills and the latest techie gadgets, the FFG fought the gang bangers in their search for the killer. The truth turned out to be more evil and twisted than any of them imagined.

After travelling the world I finally settled in the New York City area where I have lived for the past twenty years. I am captivated by nature and science and technology. On top of that, I have now found I love to tell wild, crazy stories. Each novel I write is an adventure and I have no idea where or if it will ever end. I hope you will read and enjoy my simple tales. Please read more at SamuelMuggington.com.

Pomroy's World: Arrival

by Samuel Muggington

Our Price: $16.80

The SUV hit Pomroy and crushed his skull. He never woke from the coma. His doctor gave his parents no hope. Little did they know that Pomroy walked in another strange world. There he met a beautiful girl named Nna. Nna and Pomroy experience wild adventures and hilarious cross-cultural misunderstandings as they try to survive. Pomroy is torn between his love for the exotic Nna and his desire to go home to his familiar world. Meanwhile, a young physicist and her intern make a fantastic breakthrough. They built a sophisticated dark matter device powered by a quantum computer. Eventually they too become trapped in Pomroy’s world. No one knows if the laws of physics will ever let them return.

After travelling the world I finally settled in the New York City area where I have lived for the past twenty years. I am captivated by nature and science and technology. On top of that, I have now found I love to tell wild, crazy stories. Each novel I write is an adventure and I have no idea where or if it will ever end. I hope you will read and enjoy my simple tales. Please read more at PomroysWorld.com.

Baby Rocket

by Stephanie A. Smith

Our Price: $19.95

In 1966, a child is found abandoned in a rocket ride on Cape Canaveral. Traumatized, she could not speak when the police found her, only a few yards from her dead mother. So first responders called her “Baby Rocket.” As an adult, this child (Clementine “Lem” Dance) has no memory of this event. She only discovers her past when her adoptive father, James Walter Dance, Jr. has a fatal heart attack. Lem, a women’s historian who is writing a book about the Mercury 9, finds files while cleaning out her father’s apartment that he had been collecting in order to tell her the truth. Without him, she must piece together her story — why was she abandoned? What happened to her parents? How did her mother die? Who is her biological father? Doing so will take her from California back to the Tri-State area, where she now lives; to Florida, where she will find her mother's roots and her mother's life-story; and, finally, to Martha's Vineyard, where she will come to terms with what she can recall and what she has uncovered about the wrenching facts of her early years.

The Other Side of Goodbye

by Jules Angelina

Our Price: $10.99

Tragic circumstances have thrust Claire Eva Brandt into an unfamiliar new life. Now, she must decide if this new life is one that’s worth living, despite being given an incredible opportunity to begin again. Will Claire pursue this rare second chance? Or will she remain eternally angry with God and choose to live life in the past… alone? This "What if" story, based in Ireland, will keep you on the edge of your seat, and you just might wonder what you would do if in a similar situation.

Jules started her writing career when she was 14 years old. Growing up in Chicago, she fell in love with stories offering profound life lessons, and the Windy City also sparked her deep passions for art, photography, music, architecture, and the world's diverse cultures. A move to New York led to an extensive cable TV and programming career, that included writing and editing scripts, and ultimately structuring her own stories in screenplay and novel formats.

In addition to writing stories about life and "what if" situations, she also enjoys exploring new and challenging ways to stay young and fit, inspired by a statement by a legendary Nike cofounder: "If you have a body, you are an athlete."

The Other Side of Goodbye is her first published novel. Jules lives in New York with her husband and two children. Read more at JulesAngelina.com.

Between Henry & Clinton

by Francine Richetti

Our Price: $11.00

Life has a way of happening without notifying you first. Teo is living a life he inherited; a life he thought he was responsible for; a life that was brought about by circumstances out of his control; a life he rarely, if ever, talks about. Teo knows what it feels like to love. He knows what it means to be depended on. He knows how to sacrifice. What he doesn't know is how to trust, how to let his guard down, or how to let himself feel again. Until, one night, on a stoop in Brooklyn, between Henry and Clinton.

Francine grew up the daughter of a New York City Firefighter. As a child, she spent summers on the beaches and waters of Long Island and Cape Cod. A former Litigation Paralegal, she now spends most of her time at soccer fields, baseball fields or dance competitions. She lives on Long Island, New York with her husband and three kids.
Read more at facebook.com/BetweenHenryAndClinton.

Jack always longed to lift the physical world's veil of illusion and peer into the reality behind it. His journey, in the afterlife, provides answers to his lifelong quest for forgotten truths. Traversing two worlds with the guidance of a mysterious angel transforms Jack by replacing the ego's vision with that of the soul's. He gains an elevated perspective through releasing limiting beliefs and replacing them with liberating insights. The world, and his path, are seen in a magical way.

Did you ever wonder what is hidden behind life's curtain? What forgotten truths await to guide you through life? Join Jack on a spiritual journey that replaces the ego's vision with that of the soul's, and traverses two realms. Be prepared to see the world, and your path, in a magical, new way.

"Karen Esposito addresses the needs of contemporary seekers in this inspirational book. She gives us practical tools with which we can gather spiritual knowledge." — Barbara Biziou, author of The Joys of Everyday Ritual and The Joys of Family Rituals

"This is a must read! Karen's grasp of spirituality is comprehensive and inspiring. I encourage you to embark upon this awesome journey. You'll feel enlightened, elevated, and entertained!" — Louisiana Zinn, Reiki Master, Spiritual Teacher and Healer

Esposito read her poem, What was not Seen on September 11th, at the first 9/11 memorial. Her Columbine poem, A Cry for Help in Columbine, was published in The Denver Catholic Register. She has now turned her capability for healing words into a novel. Karen is a second degree Reiki master. She has a career in the travel industry and lives in New York City.

Help American Politics and Democracy by Removing the Stupid from Stupidparty.

Stupidparty Math v. Myth: Unmasking the Destructive Forces Eroding American Democracy relies on publicly available facts, resources and tools to deconstruct and relentlessly drill down on the numerous misconceptions held by too many Republicans. This exercise will ultimately lead to the unmasking of the real culprits. Substantiated by more than 1,500 hyperlinks to authoritative resources, readers will find...

Once thoughtful, discerning Americans understand the destructive forces manipulating their views, they will begin to call for a stop to the stupidity that has invaded our politics and poisoned our political process. The eradication of Stupid from the Stupidparty is the first step.

This book does not set out to destroy the Republican Party. The U.S. needs at least two parties. But, by exposing the abundance of Myth with the relentless use of Math and facts, the problems and then the solutions become self-evident. Read more at StupidpartyMathvMyth.com.

Patrick Andendall has always had an interest in politics and, being multicultural, he views issues from a more international perspective. In 2004, five days before the election, he flew to Cleveland and pitched in to help with the political process. What he discovered was the dissolution of the American Dream, which he writes about in his book, Stupidparty.

Educated at English boarding schools from the age of seven, Andendall went on to graduate from Lancing College. He started by sometimes working three jobs at once, trainee Underwriter/Claim Broker at Lloyd's of London, his own one man cleaning company (cleaning the very offices of a reinsurance company at which he would transact business) plus doing seasonal work on various farms.

Having made some windfall profits by borrowing money in order to be a "Stag" and take advantage of opportunities created by Margaret Thatcher's de-nationalization policies of the mid 1980s, Andendall evolved into an entrepreneur with a core specialty in reinsurance in London and New York where he looks for patterns in numbers. Self-employed in a field not normally conducive to self-employment, he is able remain in control, juggle different jobs, travel and pursue his various interests.

Ending up in New York via romance in the African bush, Andendall now lives on Long Island with his wife, two children and two dogs.

Have you ever really thought about your ancestors beyond their names and dates of events in their lives? The stories of how they lived their lives can be a source of strength as well as inspiration in your own life. In this new work of narrative nonfiction, Susan M. Rostan invites us to experience her journey as she seeks to uncover the story of her husband's family, including two courageous but silent survivors of WWII's Warsaw Ghetto: her mother-in-law Elzbieta and Elzbieta's brother, Marian Rosenbloom. With the passing of Elzbieta, an aging Uncle Marian is the only surviving link to his family's history — the stories of tragic loss and heroic survival — that he and his sister had refused to share with anyone throughout their lives. Encouraged by the author and driven by an emerging sense of responsibility to his sister's namesake and future generations, Marian begins a difficult journey into the memories of his childhood in the Warsaw Ghetto and subsequent survival. As his experiences unfold, he haltingly recalls how he managed to escape the Ghetto and survive, thanks to his courageous rescuers. Out of his remembrances, the author nurtures not only the story of her husband's family history, but finds herself immersed in an insistent desire to honor Marian's rescuers. Through her poignant and compelling narrative, she revives Elzbieta's legacy of hope, caring and laughter for all of us to share.

"As a Pole, I highly appreciate the joint efforts of Susan and Marian to restore the memory of Polish Jews, former residents of my hometown... and the memory of my countrymen who risked their own lives as well as their families' lives whilst hiding and saving from death their Jewish friends, neighbors and even strangers. With this book, some of them receive the title of Righteous Among the Nations for their quiet heroism." – Aleksander Kopiński, Polish literary critic, historian and genealogist.

Grand Prize Winner (Nonfiction), 2014 LuckyCinda Book Contest

"An emotionally charged, beautifully written book is how one reviewer described this story and we agree. The story is a narrative of the survivors of WWII's Warsaw Ghetto and their rescuers. It will remind you how cruel humanity can be, but, too, how resilient and courageous the spirit fighting for survival. A personal story worth reading." – LuckyCinda Book Contest Judge’s comments

Susan M. Rostan is a visual artist, educational researcher, and the author of Digging: Lifting the Memorable from Within the Unthinkable, a work of creative nonfiction. She has written well-received articles in The Journal of Creative Behavior and Creativity Research Journal as well as chapters in diverse books on creativity. She has an MFA from Long Island University and a doctorate in gifted education from Columbia University. Ms. Rostan has directed the Rostan Art School since 1970, conducted extensive research in children's artistic development, and has served as an adjunct professor in Hofstra University's School of Education. Ms. Rostan and her husband Robert live on Long Island. Read more at SusanMRostan.com.

How May I Serve? is a guide to empower women who are struggling to find a way out of their troubles. I have tortured and abused myself for many years trying to find love, happiness and peace of mind. Yet, the more I sought these things, the more they eluded me. Then, I realized it was an "inside" job. I had to learn to love myself, forgive myself and make peace with myself. So many women have been brought up with limiting beliefs about themselves from childhood. From the time I was conceived, I was an unwanted pregnancy. From the deep recesses of my subconscious mind, I programmed a tape of being unloved and unlovable. I acted and attracted circumstance after circumstance to validate this belief. I played the victim role very well. I did not know how to get out of my own way. The more I avoided looking at the cause of the problems; however, the worse they got. I hit my bottom upon finding out that my oldest daughter had a heroin addiction. This brought everything full circle. In order to save her, I had to change myself.

Karen Mathews has traveled extensively around the world to find her purpose in life. She has learned and discovered the answers were inside her all along. If she stays present in the moment, serves others and learns from her failures, the answers will reveal themselves. Karen is an empowerment coach, teaching people the laws of the natural world. She also practices reflexology, teaches Nia dance, gardens, and loves to take long walks. She also still travels the world. The greatest significance she can offer humanity is to serve and give her best, to shed light and give value to the world gives her great joy. Read more at Karen Mathews.

The Stories of the Explorers, Promoters, Investors and Settlers Who Founded the First English Colonies

by Edward M. Lamont

Our Price: $38.00

The names “Jamestown” and “Plymouth” have become synonymous for most students of American history with “founding” and “birth” — both of the American nation and of freedom and democracy themselves. In this book, author Ted Lamont asks us to reconsider our country’s formative years and explore the stories, lives, achievements and failures of America’s earliest founding fathers: those who paved the way for the Colonial Era and the American Revolution. They were explorers, investors, passionate religious leaders and determined developers who struggled for generations to successfully plant the English flag in this strange new soil. Mr. Lamont deftly details the ways in which the stories and struggles of figures like Sir Walter Raleigh, Bartholomew Gosnold, Richard Hakluyt, Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Smith were not just related, but connected in ways that help us better understand the colonies and culture born of their efforts. The infancy of America — from Roanoke’s founding in 1585 through the firm establishment of Jamestown and Plymouth in 1625 — is where we first see planted the seeds of the rest of America’s colonial, economic, political and cultural history that was the immensely difficult and often overlooked first step toward the New World we are still working to perfect.

"Edward Lamont brings to life the struggle and sacrifice of the brave men and women who founded America. He has given us a well-told tale of folly and brutality, courage and vision — fortunately, more of the latter than the former." — Evan Thomas, former editor of Newsweek, historian and author of Ike's Bluff and The War Lovers

"True to his promise, Ted Lamont honors dozens of unique characters in The Forty Years that Created America. From intrepid explorers, to Pilgrims and Puritans, to Indian chiefs, a feisty John Smith and a valiant Pocahontas, the stage was set for the transformation of His Majesty's plantation into a nation of free Americans." — Phyllis Lee Levin, author of Edith and Woodrow and Abigail Adams: A Biography

Edward M. Lamont was a banker for twenty-three years with the World Bank and J.P. Morgan & Co., Inc. He also worked for the Marshall Plan and North American Treaty Organization (NATO) in Paris and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington, D.C. He is chairman emeritus of the Children's Aid Society in New York City. Mr. Lamont is the author of The Ambassador From Wall Street: The Story of Thomas W. Lamont, J.P. Morgan’s Chief Executive and Ned Miner and His Pioneering Forebears. He and his wife Camille live in Laurel Hollow, Long Island, NY. They have three children and five grandchildren.

The Relationship Protocol: How to Talk, Defuse and Build Healthier Relationships

by Debra M. Roberts, LCSW

Our Price: $21.99

Is your relationship in crisis? Are you having trouble communicating with an important person in your life? Are you looking for tools and techniques you can use today? The Relationship Protocol is the easy to use, step-by-step guide on how to communicate effectively in all of your important relationships — romantic, family, business and friendships. Learn how to deal with and resolve real-life conflicts. Navigate tough situations. Take control and defuse heated arguments. Bring up sensitive topics and recover from setbacks. Instill hope when lost, and rebuild trust. Read The Relationship Protocol today to make your relationships more enjoyable and less complicated.

"This model is user friendly and can have profound results with any relationship. I have seen many couples who are 'stuck' at an emotional impasses make real progress, real fast." — Dr. Kristin Brunning, Psychiatrist

Debra M. Roberts, LCSW, is a licensed certified social worker in private practice in New York. She received her master’s degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. For many years, Debra worked in nonprofit organizations in the areas of mental health, poverty legal services, health, and youth programs. She has been in private practice for more than twenty years, specializing in working with adults in individual, group, and relationship therapy. Debra’s communication model grew out of her extensive experience working with struggling relationships. She is also EMDRIA certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a form of psychotherapy that helps people overcome trauma and past negative experiences. This is her first book in a planned series.

Getting Off the Street: Sane Investment Advice from One of the Nation's Leading Wealth Managers

by Charles Massimo

Our Price: $22.95

There are secrets Wall Street doesn’t want investors to know...

• Working with financial advisors at large brokerage firms does little to enhance your wealth. In fact, it may diminish your wealth to a point from which you can never recover.

• Financial advisors at most big firms are salespeople first and foremost. They are motivated to sell products that will make their company money—not those that make the most sense for their clients’ needs.

• Most fees paid to financial advisors go toward activities that do nothing to improve their clients’ investment portfolio.

Charlie Massimo knows what Wall Street is hiding, because he spent nearly twenty years on the front lines at major financial firms. Feeling disillusioned by the difference between his employer’s goals and those of his clients, Massimo left Wall Street to start a firm that puts its clients’ interests above everything else. Since 2003, his company, CJM Wealth Management, has been doing just that.

Getting Off the Street offers honest, realistic investment advice based on Massimo’s experience helping hundreds of clients achieve their financial vision. His method, called structured investing, eliminates big risks and ensures solid returns through a simple blend of patience, discipline, diversification and goal-setting.

Structured investing is designed around your best interests, but you won’t hear about it through major Wall Street firms, because they can’t make money from it. Yet, Massimo’s proven strategies have weathered even the most devastating market crashes while Wall Street giants — and their clients — suffered major losses.

Massimo also uncovers a side of investing we rarely stop to consider — the emotions that influence our decisions. We often make poor choices, because we’re convinced that, in order to be savvy investors, we must regularly buy and sell our assets. In reality, quite the opposite is true. Massimo reveals that the smartest investors avoid the big risks that aren’t worth the risk to take. They embrace the long-term philosophy behind structured investing over the erratic behaviors that many financial advisors scare us into trusting.

Getting Off the Street is the investment guide Wall Street hopes you’ll never find. Told with Massimo’s signature warmth, clarity and wisdom that can only come from three decades on and off “The Street,” this book will help you achieve your financial goals and build the life you desire.

Charles Massimo is the president and founder of CJM Wealth Management, named top wealth management company on Long Island (NY) by NABCAP. Charlie’s financial insights have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox Business, among other outlets. He lives on Long Island, NY with his wife and triplets. Read more at CJM Wealth Management.

Daniel Whitacore is a brilliant oncologist who discovers a way to use a deadly virus to treat lymphoma. His discovery is a miracle to those who suffer from the devastating disease. Unfortunately, Daniel has enemies. These enemies hope to alter his miracle cure to make it something deadly to harm Daniel as well as the entirety of mankind. Not only must Daniel fear those who mean him harm, but also, he must be wary of those closest to him. John Abel is Daniel's devoted fellow, but even he soon gets caught up in the plot and becomes an unwilling conduit to its execution. John's girlfriend, Susan, is a Harvard educated Ph.D. She may be smart, but can she be trusted? An outside force, Peter Sutter, recently lost his son to cancer, and he seeks revenge against Daniel, much like the others who would use his miracle cure to kill. Then, there is Jack Comstock: a jihadist conflicted as to his motivations and the ramifications of his actions. All of these people are soon intertwined by Daniel's scientific discovery, but will any of them get what they truly want?

Philip Schulman, M.D. is a physician who lives on Long Island with his wife Sherry. He attended Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York and has spent many years of his illustrious career treating patients with cancer as Chief of Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on Long Island. He currently serves as a Medical Director of Oncology at Eviti, Inc.

The humorous inside story of America's most famous military high school which housed the "juvenile delinquent" sons of major corporate, political and crime figures since 1883. Greg Vitrano was a student there from 1972-1976. This is his story.

It's 1972. In this story which is part, Ridgemont High and part Sopranos, we follow the adventures of 13 year old Greg Vitrano. Greg was one of four boys in an Italian American home in Brooklyn that had more visits from the police than books in the home. It was concluded that his immediate family was a bad influence on him, so Greg's parents offered him two options — full time construction work or an all boys military academy. He chose the latter.

Situated on over 200 acres on The Great South Bay on Long Island, LaSalle Military Academy was run jointly by the Army ROTC and the Christian brothers. LaSalle was renowned for harboring and educating the sons of notorious Central American dictators, New York Mafia families, drug cartel heads, famous athletes and the Forbes 100. Discipline was enforced, but in a place where you cage 350 teenage boys, many who have had delinquency issues, all sh*t breaks loose. To survive, Greg leans on his sense of humor and wit.

Greg Vitrano is a native New Yorker. Greg has a wife of over 30 years, three (almost adult) children and two wonderful Brittany Spaniels. He is now back on Eastern Long Island, NY where he spends most of his time fulfilling his lifelong dream... writing. To read more about Greg, please visit gregvitranoauthor.com.

When nineteen-year-old Jane finally works up the nerve to expose the truth about her stepfather’s sexual advances, her mother is outraged. But not at the stepfather. Her mother takes his side — a betrayal that threatens to destroy the family and leaves Jane struggling to forge her own identity as she enters adulthood. Once marriage is on the table, Jane packs up her life and resolves to stare her demons down. Losing the Dollhouse offers a slice of dysfunctional Americana complete with divorce, stepfamilies, eating disorders, mental illness and the search for true love.

"This is a work of intelligence, sensitivity and honesty that at times is spellbinding. It is more than a coming-of-age story. It is a psychological portrait, richly detailed but never tedious." — Ira Claire Gabler, author of the critically acclaimed short story collection Unexpected Returns

S. Jane Gari lives in Elgin, South Carolina with her husband and daughter. Her nonfiction has been nominated for three Pushcart Prizes. She has also co-written Flush This Book, a collection of humorous essays. Without a good laugh now and then, we'd all need to be institutionalized. To read more about Ms. Gari and her works, please visit sjanegari.com.

My Journey on Becoming a Nurse: Contribution to the Nursing Profession

by Verlia M. Brown, MA, RN, BC

Hardcover: $24.99

Paperback: $15.99

The purpose of this book is to chronicle Ms. Brown's life journey from birth to achieving her goal of being a registered nurse. People, in general, take different pathways to fulfill their professional dreams. Ms. Brown's pathway took long and winding roads, hills and valleys. Her book intends to inspire, motivate and encourage people across the spectrum, and prove to them they should pursue their dreams and never give up, even if there are many obstacles and struggles along the way. With strength and determination, and with help from the community of people around you, your goal can be achieved.

Verlia M. Brown, MA, RN, BC, worked in critical care at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY. She retired in 2012 after 38 years working in intensive care units. She is a past president of the NYS Nurses Association and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Ms. Brown obtained a Master of Arts degree in community health from Brooklyn College, City University of New York. She received a diploma in nursing from Kings County Hospital Center School of Nursing and is a director at large for Nurses House. Read more at MyJourneyOnBecomingANurse.com.

In the modern world, the factions of governments, religions, and military powers are scrambling to answer one question: Who controls the Fear that controls all people? Dr. Karol Seguin has been hired by her publishing company to document the day to day decisions of the current president of the United States. He has uncanny intelligence and universal popular regard. And, from his impending resume of distinction, his constituency has commissioned that his life be documented as in line with the great leaders of history. Karol and her acquaintances, Col. Thomas Graile and Justice Mel Sodeq, are bombarded with a flurry of new questions. Is there technology to boldly manipulate the many populations of the world by only one person? Are there secrets of antiquity that give hints and clues to a power greater than mortality? What is a legend? What is a conqueror? Ultimately, three questions exist: Is the world controlled by omnipotence or debilitation? Is it better to be omnipresent or to be continual in spirit? And, the greatest of these questions is: Will the minds of conquerable people fall by the individual who is omniscient or the individual who can impose confusion?

Greg Kemp is a school psychologist, rock guitar enthusiast, and an equal apologist to the use of long words and scheme philosophies in professional football. All is considered mere gust and dust when compared to just spending time with his wife and kids. Willy Minnix is a pastor, musician, graphic artist and author of several books covering topics such as music theory, theology and fiction. Willy has also released several CDs. He lives with his wife, kids and dog somewhere in the world. Read more at facebook.com/greg.willy.775.

The Small Change Solution: A 52 Step Guide to Getting the Naturally Healthy Lifestyle You Want

by Kimberly Petrosino

Our Price: $12.95

Quick diets are a thing of the past. Getting the tools you need for a lifetime of health and happiness with The Small Change Solution!

Are you tired of counting calories and grams of fat? Find out the secret to becoming radiantly healthy, living simply, and finding inner peace — with absolutely no disruption to your everyday life! This step-by-step guide will help you enhance all of the areas of your life, from the food on your plate to your loving relationships. Learn simple ways to pamper yourself on a daily basis, spend less time in the kitchen while cooking healthier than ever, manage your stress and, most importantly, have fun doing it! Kimberly Petrosino will show you how taking small steps will help you achieve greater results in the long run. A healthier new you awaits! Start making every second count and begin your Small Change journey today.

Read more about author and Holistic Health Coach Kimberly Petrosino and The Small Change Solution at HappyHealthyHearts.net.

Christy Street is the story of the McTyre family from 1980 through 2001. Finn, the father, and Joan, the mother, care for three energetic, successful and challenging boys — Mike, Tommy and Jack. Through 21 years, you see a family experience, that which every family does, from joy, success, love to confusion and disappointment. Christy Street moves from Bayside, Queens to Port Thomas, as well as visits to Tully, from where Joan is originates. Beyond that, the boys lead us to many other places. The book captures the distinct experience of growing up on Long Island in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bart Allen grew up in Northport, Long Island and attended SUNY Geneseo where he majored in English and Secondary Education. After teaching for a year, he left the United States and attended the University of Edinburgh, Scotland to complete a Masters in Creative Writing. He has poems published online and in print and attends many poetry readings. This is his first novel.

A mesmerizing and powerful true story about young love, the choices that we make and where those choices take us. When Cindy meets Danny, they become inseparable. Cindy believes she has found her true "soulmate" and that they would live happily ever after. What she didn't know is that being a teenager and being in love isn't that simple. There were constantly things being thrown in their path that would cause them to break up. They both move on, find new love and, yet, somehow they would wind up together again. They would believe this was the time that they would last forever. They are older now and decide to take things slow. They are truly happy together, everything is as it should be, and they begin planning for their future when a shocking jaw dropping event takes place. What will happen now? Were they destined to always fail? Is there anyway to recover? Can there be a Forever & Always or has Destiny set it's path for them?

Cindy Springsteen tells her all in a true story with the storytelling ability and ingenuity of Jodi Piccoult. She shares and goes to secret places that most authors dare not to go! She takes us in a maze of her imagination to the deepest depths of her being. Her lifelong compassion for young love flows in her writing like that of Ann Tyler and the subtlety of Alice Munro. Springsteen offers us a raw look at her life in this debut novel that feels like it came from a seasoned novelist. She is not only a gifted portraitist, but also an author to watch in the future. Cindy introduces us to a mesmerizing world of lifelong love and draws us into her life, from teen to adult.

Cindy Springsteen lives on Long Island with her husband and two children. She has had a passion for writing since she was in her teens, starting with poetry, which won her numerous awards and which were published in various publications. She has spent many years researching and writing about parenting teenagers for many publications. She is presently a virtual assistant for a well-known author. Read more at Cindy-Springsteen.com and at http://twitter.com/C_Springsteen.

Conquer the System: "The Difference Between Failure and Success Lies Between Two Fingers"

by Vincent Scialli

Our Price: $9.99

Vincent Scialli’s Conquer the System provides an insightful perspective of a blue collar guy who was raised by immigrant blue collar parents who sent him into an unknown white collar world. It is written with simple words… simple words that make up simple stories. With no connections to America’s corporate system growing up, everything was a new experience for Scialli… from his ﬁrst day at work to asking for a raise, nothing came easy to him. Scialli’s sheer determination, coupled with an unfailing work ethic, brought him a very successful career in the corporate world and later as a small business owner. His detailed accounts of personal experiences has led to many easy to remember stories and given birth to a well-organized written analysis of what the "system" is and how to identify its major components.

Whether you are a recent college graduate or a seasoned employee tired of mediocrity, Conquer the System provides a detailed road map to navigating today's corporate world. Each chapter caters to your speciﬁc needs and is carefully packaged into easy to read "how-to" guide for personal success. Conquer the System is a valuable asset not only for the employee but also for the bosses for they work. Any boss or business owner can use Conquer the System as a motivation tool to ignite a passion to succeed within their own workforce. Read more at ConquerTheSystem.com.

Vincent Scialli grew up in Westbury, NY and was the only son of two Italian immigrant parents who came to this country with little to no money in their pockets. His father, Aniello, was the owner of a small plumbing business and his mother, Josephine, taught herself how to read and write English, which eventually led to a career in the mortgage industry. Vincent was not only the oldest sibling in his family, but also the oldest of all his cousins born in America. With no one to guide him, Vincent had to teach himself the basics like learning to speak, read and write English at an early age. That perseverance continued throughout his entire childhood and culminated in 1996, when he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manhattan College. Shortly after graduation, his introduction into America's corporate world began as a plumbing and fire protection consultant for one of the largest engineering firms in NYC. In a short time, he climbed the corporate ladder through hard work and dedication, making a name for himself in the industry as a man who knew his "stuff". During his time at the firm, Vincent carefully identified what components of his company made it so successful and categorized that corporate architecture in what he called a "system". Once he figured it out what made his company tick, navigating through that system for his own success became easy. Determined to one day implement a "system" of his own, Vincent studied and passed the NYC Master Plumbers exam in 2003. Shortly thereafter, Vincent exchanged his suit and tie for work boots and founded Scialli & Sons Inc., doing business as Scialli Plumbing & Heating located in Hicksville, NY.. Combining his parents work ethic and his experience of that which he had learned at the firm, Vincent began creating a "system" of his own. In less than five years, his plumbing contracting firm had grown from one van to one of the largest in the area. Today, with the economic divide between the "have" and "have nots" growing exponentially, Vincent wants more than ever to share his methods to help you identify your company's "system" and maximize it to your own personal success.

Rikers Island is home to 20,000 inmates, employees and visitors every day. It is the largest penal colony in the world. When one of its most senior, and most notorious, Correction Officer ends up murdered, it unravels a web of lies and deceit. John Sebastian is a man whose life is back on track — beautiful, young wife, two young children and a career headed in the right direction. He had everything going for him until a dark secret from his past comes back to haunt him and he stands to lose everything. Pannino is Dead is the first, unforgettable, crime drama from the mind of Marc Zirogiannis.

Marc Zirogiannis holds a B.A. from Long Island University and a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University’s School of Law. Mr. Zirogiannis has practiced the martial arts for over 25 years and earned a World Taekwondo Federationrecognized 1st Dan under the supervision of Grandmaster Yeon Hwan Park in Levittown, NY. He has published numerous best selling books on a variety of subject material, including the law, philosophy, meditation, business consulting, and, of course, the martial arts. He is currently the lead correspondent for an international Tae Kwon Do print publication. He lectures on a variety of topics, including suicide prevention, business development, and matters of the martial arts. His latest book, Hitler's Orphan: Demetri of Kalavryta, a historical novella, has been met with critical praise and he has been nominated as "The Best Author on Long Island" for 2015. Mr. Zirogiannis is currently a 2nd Dan Candidate at the Y.H. Park Taekwondo Academy. Read more about the author and his books at Goodreads.com.

Nothing is quite as it seems in Scott Hudak’s twisting new crime novel, Death Cards, where an investigation into a teenager’s disappearance reveals that even the simplest of events can cover up a much darker reality. When eighteen-year-old Lauren Shor is abducted on December 16, 1977, the New York City police force plunge into a full scale investigation. But a year passes and there are still no leads, a fact that makes their next discovery so agonizing: One year after the disappearance, the Shor family receives a holiday card from Lauren’s abductor. For the next twenty-three years, the “death cards” arrive every Christmas, while Lauren’s unsolved case eventually becomes buried, only to land on the desk and into the life of Detective Paula Brocton years later. As Detective Brocton’s determination to discover the truth drives her to dig deeper into the past, secrets slowly reveal themselves — secrets that were meant to stay buried.

"There’s an absorbing and frightening sense of reality at the heart of this debut novel. Cleverly plotted and convincingly written, Scott Hudak is a real find in the mystery field." — Peter Lovesey, renowned British mystery writer

Scott Hudak currently teaches science and lives in south central New York State. Death Cards is his debut novel.

If you enjoy fairy tales and ghost stories, you'll love this short story from new author Jan M. Leotti!

The last time autumn storms blew through the town of Merfisham, a young woman disappeared... This time, the September winds deliver a headless bartender on the front steps of Keels, the local pub. The townspeople become enchanted by his charm, but not everyone believes his presence is a blessing. With the arrival of Serena O'Dell, a moon-eyed woman in search of a husband, three old fishermen in the village predict another storm will soon follow. Driven by her desire for love, Serena pursues the new bartender, and is more than willing to overlook his missing head. One night, on the way home from a date with him, she spies a ghostly figure hovering above the bay. Was it merely a trick of the fog? Why won't the bartender tell her how he lost his head? Serena means to find out, but how much will she sacrifice for love? The Headless Bartender is a romantic fantasy tale about a woman searching for love, but who finds a charming, ghostly suitor instead.

When Jan M. Leotti was a child, an evil uncle told her to come back to Reality and stop living in Fairyland. He said it was rotting her brain. In her teens, she and her friends attended a handwriting analysis party. "Those large loops on your 'J' and 'L' show that you are too dreamy. Get out of your head," the analyst said. Although Jan tried, she couldn't figure out how to detach her brain from her skull. In despair, she cried, her tears falling upon the loops in her name. One by one, the loops turned into bubbles. They puffed up and grew until they engulfed Jan in their iridescent skins, lifting her into the air. Sailing over the seas and over the lands of earth, Jan steered until one day she found it — Fairyland. When she disembarked in a state called New York, she bought a sky-blue cottage with an enchanted mulberry tree in the back yard. She set up a computer near a window tall enough to see the moon rise at night, and wrote two short stories and two vignettes which were published in literary magazines, Peregrine, Primavera, and Vine Leaves Literary Journal, respectively. She also wrote a ghost story called The Headless Bartender and her first novel titled Close To Dark. She rescued two cats, placed twenty-two orchids on her sunny front porch, and married an award-winning landscape painter named Paul Bachem, who just so happened to be the prince in her loopy dreams. Jan and Paul still live in the sky-blue cottage and eat enchanted mulberries every summer. Jan has no intention of returning to Reality. Her brain has its own opinions about the uncle and the analyst.

Watch for Jan M. Leotti's debut novel, Close to Dark, to be released in 2015. To learn more about Jan M. Leotti's short story and new fantasy novel, visit janmleotti.blogspot.com.

How does your health change the lives of the people you love? Are you ready to feel great every day of your life?

Be Health Beautiful will teach you how to dig deep into your pantry, taking a closer look at how certain foods will make you feel, and kicking the bad guys (i.e. processed foods and foods made with chemical additives) to the curb. Becoming Health Beautiful will save your life. Living the Health Beautiful lifestyle is simple and rewarding. Learn to regain your vitality and the highest quality life possible for yourself and your family through healthful eating, restful sleep, an active lifestyle, and positive goal-setting.

Carisa Kretschmer is a holistic health and nutrition counselor. She conducts health training programs within corporate environments and one-on-one counseling sessions that focus on individual needs in a non-judgmental and inspirational environment. Carissa guides clients and readers alike toward living a Health Beautiful life, free from clutter, bad habits, illness and disease. Read about Carissa and Be Health Beautiful at hbhealthcoaching.com.

Written by an author who knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that you were born to live a fulfilling, energized life, The Secret to Conscious Living was a labor of love. Dive in with Matthew, to shift what needs shifting, see what needs seeing and to take action, where necessary. What if self-help was re-imagined? Imagine the next self-development book you read is one you can actually interact with and tailor to your own personal wants and desires. The Secret to Conscious Living is a book like this. It's so easy to give energy away in little bits and pieces all day long, whether it's our constantly thinking minds, emotional stress from our relationships, or choosing the wrong kind of foods to fuel our day. Our energy is constantly being drained. Did you know that there are Energy Magnifiers available to you in every moment of every day? Let this book be the guide that gets you in touch with this energy. If you knew how to connect with as much energy as you wanted, what could you accomplish? This self-discovery handbook is designed to support you in learning about the entire universe that is you, so that you can live more fully, with more satisfaction, and bounce back from any of life's challenges. You will be shown how to access new sources of energy, co-create a life of your design, and move, at your own pace, into the experience of the life that you want.

Matthew Joseph Anello is an internationally active coach who has seen that not one modality, approach to living, diet or exercise regime is the answer for every person, all the time. He honors more than 1,000 people he has worked with (in more than a dozen countries) as individual unique creations at a critical moment in their lives. Certified as a Somato Respiratory Integration Wellness Educator and Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Matthew weaves together multiple, powerful coaching modalities in service of his clients' dreams. He is renowned for serving those who get that a conversation that engages solely the mind is not sufficient to generate the kind of energy they crave to generate true satisfaction in their lives.

From his home in Barcelona, Spain, Matthew is tapped by Wise World Seminars to be on staff at their premier events around the world and by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition® to not only coach many hundreds of their students, but also to speak to their classes as they transition form being students to certified health coaches.

Jewish New York: A History and Guide to Neighborhoods, Synagogues and Eateries

by Paul M. Kaplan

Our Price: $20.00

Use this as your road map to Jewish immigration in New York!

Paul M. Kaplan provides a road map to the history of Jewish immigration in New York through this innovative new guide. With a focus on the communities of Manhattan, Kaplan includes museums, places of historic interest, restaurants, synagogues, and entertainment venues of the present and those that no longer exist. Many are illustrated with vintage photos that capture the vibrant history of the city. Provided are suggested itineraries, tips for the visitor, and reference notes for further exploration. Each chapter also contains a map of the area marking key sites and a broad introduction to the district's place in the historic time-line of Jewish immigration.

Included are Lower Manhattan, Lower East Side, Greenwich Village and the East Village, Chelsea and Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Harlem, Morningside Heights, and Washington Heights. Featured sites are divided by their location, traveling from the south to the farthest northern tip of Manhattan. Each section provides a map of the area and a broad introduction to the district's place in the historic time-line of Jewish immigration. The author provides suggested itineraries, tips for the visitor, and reference notes for further exploration, while a historical introduction provides the framework for locals and visitors of every religion and nationality. Vintage photos provide historic illustrations.

Kaplan serves on the board of directors for the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy. A talented researcher, he is developing segments on arts and culture for TV programs. He earned a BA in ethics, politics, and economics from Yale College and an MBA from Yale School of Management. He enjoys traveling, having visited six continents. Kaplan's fascination with travel and the history of places led him to pursue writing as an avenue through which to share cultural experiences and universal themes. Kaplan works in the field of marketing, focused on content, digital, and product strategy for consumer, publishing, and technology companies. Read more at PaulKaplanAuthor.com.

Age gracefully "Miss Hilda" did not. She fought like hell: dug in her heels, kicked, stomped, and cussed all the way to dementia. As her caregiver and advocate, the author became Mommy all at once to a stubborn toddler, sexually precocious teenager, and immature adult as her ailing mother vacillated between developmental stages and psychological states of mind. Mommy? offers an honest, raw glimpse into the life of a very human caregiver desperately trying to advocate for her mother while sustaining the quality of her own life. Passionately written, the memoir speaks to the deepest, most intimate battles of caregivers on the front line. Delivered with empathy, humor, and shocking candor, readers will walk away smarter, more confident, and steeped in inspiration. The greatest gift will be a resounding affirmation of their own sanity!

Dr. Brenda Triplett is an elementary school administrator. After a long journey as the primary caregiver to her mother as she suffered through dementia, Brenda was inspired to provide a reality-based resource to other caregivers that she wished she'd had. This book is the result of years of experimental knowledge and research across many platforms. She lives with her husband on Long Island, NY. Read more at DrBrendaTriplett.com.

The year is 1953. Eleven-year-old Paul Howland — a nonreader in the era before special education — decides that death is the way to escape struggles at home and in school. But two people intervene: classmate Jenny Moran and an adult mentor who discovers in Paul a latent artistic talent. The fast-paced drama unfolds in Crystal, a fictitious town on the north shore of Long Island, New York. The Amethyst Stone is a bittersweet adult novel.

"Beautifully written and richly rendered, Lloyd Ferriss’ entertaining and at times heartbreaking coming of age novel explores who we are, how we find our place, and illuminates essential truths about life, love, family, and most of all, hope." — Melissa Senate, author of The Secret of Joy and The Love Goddess’ Cooking School

"In The Amethyst Stone, Lloyd Ferriss tells the story of a community on Long Island at the moment of awakening to the modern world. And he brings us to the moment of artistic awakening in his young protagonist, Paul. With convincing detail and rhythm of his poignant tale, the author truly evokes another era." — Phoebe Stone, author of Romeo Blue and The Boy on Cinnamon Street among others.

Lloyd Ferriss is a former staff writer for the Maine Sunday Telegram who took up fiction at 60. He's published two short stories and two nonfiction books, Secrets of a Mountain and Harry Stump: Maine's Psychic Sculptor. A native of Long Island, NY, Ferriss holds a BA in English Literature from the University of New Hampshire. He is married to Jane Frost, an artist and former art teacher. They live in Richmond, Maine.

Personality Predictors: The Ultimate Guide to Better Relationships and Success in Life

People Who Look Alike... Are Alike! It's in the DNA! Your Biology is Your Biology!

by Marcia Stanex Cammarata

Our Price: $13.95

Personality Predictors will provide you with a pathway to understanding your inner self and relating to others.

Personality Predictors is a guide and the key to empowering yourself and controlling your destiny, enhance your self esteem and find the stepping stones to friendship, intimacy and achievement, as well as becoming secure in who you are, so you can find fulfillment and success in life. You can move forward with confidence, accept the challenges life presents and overcome inadequacies once you understand your temperament.

Once you learn to identity 7 Personality Types through the art of observation, you will be able to navigate through life with less stress and develop the power of positivity. You will see humanity more clearly. There is a correlation between behavior styles and personality types established by numerous studies. This book will help you master the art of observation and analysis in the study of human nature.

Personality Predictors evolved from the ancient historical study of Physiognomy which evolved over centuries. Genetics determine the structure of your character traits from birth. You are the echo of generations before you. All human development is determined by nature ad our "ancestral record". Neuroscience and recent studies have reinforced that we are a product of our genetics. It is in our DNA.

Personality Predictors is an analysis system that can be learned. This book will provide you with innovative tools to achieve that knowledge. Whether you are simply curious about yourself and your family and friends, or in a profession that requires social interaction, you will benefit by being able to predict personality types of individuals by observing their facial and body characteristics. You will have the advantage of knowing what a person is like behind the mask and developing the skills to communicate with them as well as understand their eccentricities, idiosyncracies and attributes. You can avoid relationship pitfalls and make the best of every situation you encounter.

The 7 Types of Personality Predictors provides you with a innovative and powerful tool that is more accurate and unique than astrology or other methods. It opens the door to better understand and discover who you are.

Once, Kerrie and Jeff were blissfully in love. All they needed was each other. But after Jeff was deployed, Kerrie became a lonely woman. Starved for love, affection, sex, and attention, she tried everything she could to refill her love tank in his absence. But her cravings and needs only intensified. Torn between her marriage vows, a missing husband, and her raging desires, she resolved to find a temporary fix through online dating.

In that moment, Cyberdelity — her online persona, a mating of cyber and infidelity — was born. The response to her posting was enthusiastic, and Kerrie bounced from one failed cyber-relationship to another. Increasingly disillusioned by the realization that these men only wanted sex, Kerrie became an angry, vengeful, and, ultimately, a self-harming woman. In response to her arrest following a suicide attempt, Jeff took a leave of absence, but it didn't take him long to realize that Kerrie was far from the faithful wife he thought he had left behind.

Kerrie thought she was being discreet, but her escapades were more public than she thought. Her betrayal discovered, her devastated husband back on active duty, and her sense of self shattered, she fell deeper into depression. Kerrie sought mental-health treatment, where her traumatic childhood and another well-kept secret were revealed. Upon his return from deployment, Jeff had his own demons to battle. His scars ran deep, and PTSD now defined him. Can these two wounded souls find redemption together? Read more at Cyberdelity.com.

Bernadette Marson, Ph.D., ACSW, LCSW-R, was born in Trinidad and now resides in New York. She is a graduate of Adelphi University and Walden University. Dr. Marson is a licensed clinical practitioner with extensive expertise in human service administration, mental health, clinical consultation, and higher education. She is the founder of Marson LCSW & Consulting Services, PLLC. She is a professor, private practitioner, motivational speaker, life and executive coach, and lectures both internationally and nationwide on mental health, evidence-based treatment approaches, sexual abuse, and relationship issues. Additionally, Dr. Marson is the recipient of many awards including the Excellence in Leadership Award from the National Association of Social Workers, New York State.

Jasmine Steele’s life was exactly where she had wanted it to be. She had the love of her life, a job as a detective and never gave up on her dream of writing the next great novel. It’s true what they say about life — it changes without warning, and Jasmine’s dreams slammed to a halt the minute her brother was killed. Between guilt, becoming the guardian of her nephew and hiding her grief — she lost her soulmate, her dreams and ultimately herself.

Now Steele is now faced with a series of murders that pulls her back into her brother’s case and puts everyone around her in grave danger. Forced to face her demons, Steele must find out who the killer is before she loses someone else she loves. The killer doesn't care who dies, especially if it keeps Steele quiet — permanently. Sometimes your worst enemy is yourself.

Kimberly Amato is a freelance writer from New York and holds a Master's Degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Kimberly has managed to meld creativity and love of the human mind into a career in entertainment. Between her awards for an independent comedy project to her lauded portrayal of a psychopath in Under the Raven's Wing, Kimberly continues to bring rich stories to life in a variety of genres.

Even though her chosen topics might be serious in nature, Kimberly always finds time to indulge her inner child. A self-proclaimed "coolest aunt ever", she would rather be writing her novels on a Disney Cruise Ship waiting for Lilo and Stitch to appear than in an office. She also routinely destroys her writers' block by playing video games and renovating her home before getting back to work on future novels.

The gifted person who brings encouragement to your world is imparting one of life's greatest gifts — Hope. The least of things — a scent, a kind word, a letter of gratitude, unbinds that force within us, and catches us quite by surprise. A Gift of Encouragement, and its companion, Hope is Our Greatest Gift, are intended to share that gift of Hope, freely and without reservation. Hope, as defined, must know the depths, to gain the sense that there will be something better. From anguish is born release, and through release, Joy. Anguish is heavy, pregnant with release. The vision of, the sense of, that release we all have known, because the blackest of despair cannot remain. It is always overthrown. This too is inevitable. Savor these psalm-like verses. Along with the writer you too will choose Hope, and she will catch you unawares, like morning light, cascading inevitably across the eastern windowsill, through no effort of your own.

Hope is Our Greatest Gift

Our Price: $9.49

Deeply personal, these are words of hope and encouragement, trimmed and polished from larger prose works, and mingled beautifully with inspirational images. They will trigger a resonance with the inner chords of assurance that are our ideal state of heart. The least of things — a scent, a kind word, a note of gratitude — so often unbinds that force within us, and catches us quite by surprise. This is a book that will do just that. "This is spiritual writing at its very best. Simple. Heart felt. Human. Laced with the divine. It is an expression of love from stranger to stranger. Inviting us to become genuine neighbors. The spiritual journey is always home. Home is where we find the real Self. It is the place where we feel free to be ordinary. Where we can claim and name the ugly bits. Where we know we are beloved beyond measure. Robert’s psalms take us home. Back to where we belong. Back to where we can begin to lead wondrous and authentic lives. Savor each of these pieces slowly. Sip them like fine wine. Rest in their embrace. This will be that little book which haunts and inspires you in a big way." — W.B. Grimbol, author of The Grace of Hope and Complete Idiot's Guide to Spirituality for Teens

Divine Dialogue:
Journaling for the Presence of God

Our Price: $13.99

"There is a song within you, which will yet sing." Join the author on a spiritual journey spanning the last decade, as he seeks, and finds, the voice of divine inspiration and encouragement within. Reminiscent of David's psalms, which flowed from his pen in times of greatest need of spiritual encouragement, these modern psalms serve as an example of the voice that lies within you too, awaiting our personal call to the One who longs to be your solace and strength. Written in call-and-response format, you too will hear the voice of divine hope in these psalms of contemporary times.

The author, Robert Ott, is uniquely suited to present the beauty of nature in writings and images, with sensitivities refined by education in landscape architecture. His work can be found in Endless Horizons (Eber & Wein) and available in print from a variety of sources. Online, his most personal writings are posted at www.ttorus.net. Book page samples can be found at facebook.com/AGiftOfEncouragement. Robert now works as a solar energy designer on Long Island, NY, and his professional writings appear in many environmental reports, corporate newsletters and company blogs. Robert has always been available for music ministries, sharing the stage intermittently with evangelists, pastors and gifted performers in the venue of contemporary Christian music, always seeking to uplift and free the human spirit. "Working in our digital culture, where rapid text and images are always inextricably tied, I recently began work on this series, where EVERY page included imagery drawn from my portfolio or from Google® images. In this milieu, words and images must elicit complementary emotional responses. It requires brutal editing, down to the very core and substance of originally lengthy works, until only the juice remains. The response has been unfailingly encouraging."

This is a fictional novel of a son estranged from his enigmatic father after years of mutual sparring. Liam Mayfair loses all hope of reconciliation with his father when J.W. Mayfair, naval war hero and renowned trial attorney, is killed aboard Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island, NY on July 17, 1996. When Liam accidentally discovers a recording that reveals the true cause of the crash, he is suddenly catapulted out of self-pitying complacency and deep depression into the firestorm of an international terrorist conspiracy and massive government cover-up.

Liam Mayfair, barely turned 23 years old, is faced with the moral dilemma of a lifetime as he reluctantly teams up with a retired FBI agent to foil a plot to destroy him, his family, and the truth. This is a compelling story about the risks and rewards involved in his search for that elusive truth. Liam's Promise is a tale of one man's decision to follow his conscience despite the devastating costs that threaten his family and country.

"John F. Picciano is truly a thinking man's Tom Clancy. His first novel, Liam's Promise, combines elements of a highly accurate techno-thriller with the family dynamics with which we are all familiar. This is a good, surprisingly good, tale. It has an engaging plot involving a father-son conflict with a clear subplot — the crash of Paris bound flight TWA 800." — Thomas J. Baker,
Legal Attaché at the American Embassy in Paris at the time of the TWA Flight 800 crash

John Picciano was born in Newport News, VA, was raised on Long Island, NY, and has lived in Huntington, NY for over 30 years. He is the founding and Senior Partner of Picciano and Scahil, PC, a civil defense litigation law firm located in Westbury. Before establishing his career as a trial attorney, John served as a Special Agent of the FBI assigned to the Fugitive Squad in Washington, DC and Miami and as a Deputy Nassau County Attorney. He has fished and sailed the bays and ocean waters of Long Island for many years. His debut novel draws heavily on personal experiences, and deftly combines the conspiracy theories and political intrigue which surround the infamous and ill-fated Flight 800 with the family dynamics of larger than life characters.

"Well, here it is. I've culled my memory and found a few anecdotes my mother planted there and have, more or less, expressed my thoughts about them. Things That Happened To My Mother isn't a biography and it doesn't have a story as such. But what is does have, I think, is a glimpse or two of what mother went through in the mid-century." — Frederick Wemyss

Frederick Wemyss was born in New York City in 1960. He grew up in Huntington, NY where he still lives today. He has worked in a few bookstores and has also delivered plumbing and auto parts. With Jim Beckerman and Andy Seiler he co-wrote The Most Ridiculous Thing You Every Hoid, which was presented in 2010 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival

"Professional ballplayers, including me, have a gift from God." — John Malangone

John Malangone, a former top prospect for the New York Yankees, is a man with remarkable talent, an impressive work ethic, and a deeply rooted fear of success. He easily impressed Yankee scouts with his performance and trained obsessively, but was disinterested in winning the game. A riveting biography, Malangone's story offers an unvarnished look into the Yankee organization and a young athlete's struggle with memories of a childhood tragedy.

Readers will become immersed in the rich and often tumultuous culture of 1940s and 1950s Little Italy in East Harlem and get an in-depth look at a man who was finally able to rise above his struggles and make the most of his life and abilities. John s trials and triumphs involve stories with baseball legends such as Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Casey "The Old Perfessor" Stengel, Mickey Mantle, Earl Weaver, and Billy Martin.

This book is a detailed companion to the award-winning documentary about Malangone, Long Road Home, by acclaimed filmmaker Bruce Spiegel. John s life was also captured in a feature article for Sports Illustrated, and has been covered by the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, and New Jersey Star-Ledger.

Mike Harrison, a lifelong baseball fan and Long Island, NY
resident, participates in senior league baseball now that he has retired from his work as a school librarian and track coach. He currently plays for the Long Island Dodgers baseball team, which competes in the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) / Men's Adult Baseball League (MABL). The author is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

Infusion of Eros: An Evolutionary Tale of a Peacock Crone is a book of poems that are a narrative of a woman's life "of a certain age." The poems cover the joys of children and grandchildren, family, friends, being on the beach, writing, independence, trips to Israel and India, falling in love, and the joys of a long-term husband.

The book passionately depicts a woman who refuses to give up her eros, love of life, beauty, sexuality, and desire for the new. She is not going gently into the good night. She is embracing, inspiring, and finding new opportunities where she can. Dr. Seena Axel has found the secret to life and it is love. Through everything, she brings her insistence on love as the redeeming and enlivening elixir. Her poems themselves are lush, honest, clear, and accessible to all readers. Enjoy this book about a woman who is an eternal Aphrodite — full of love and wonderment, and who finds eros wherever she goes.

Seena is a NYS Licensed Mental Health Counselor, senior psychotherapist, national workshop leader, certified yoga teacher/body worker, and ordained healer. Her private practice and group work have been described as "love made visible." Read more at DrSeenaRAxel.com.

The Moon to Play With: A Daughter's Journey Through Love, Loss & the Power of Presence

by Wendy Karasin

Hardcover: $33.99

Paperback: $16.99

This inspirational memoir travels one woman's road to generational adulthood as she resists, then embraces, her parents' aging and eventual deaths. Wendy Karasin's descriptive passages offer readers the opportunity to experience the normalcy and enormity of what happens in her life. As Wendy is pushed into a caregiving role that grows exponentially, she must surrender to an inability to alter her parents' fate. Her pain morphs from engagement to acceptance, and ultimately compassion. The experiences that unravel her also transform her. With 79 million baby boomers and 40 million seniors, the imperative requirement for conscious end-of-life conversation has arrived.

"The Moon To Play With is more than the memoir of the author's loss of both parents. Beautifully written, Wendy Karasin shares the sensitive transition to true adulthood — as defined by the moment when one is no longer anyone's child. Wendy gracefully takes us on her journey with the understanding that this path is one we all walk at some point. She writes with emotional transparency and without the triteness that can accompany a subject so sensitive. Wendy Karasin's story is that of a universal experience, told with grace and soul." — Mimi Krumholz, Waiting for the Karma Truck

Wendy Karasin is a divorced baby boomer in the process of losing both her parents and in danger of losing parts of herself as well. Sandwiched between her four young-adult children and the growing needs of her aging parents, she must surrender to a power greater than her own. As this daughter's reality shifts from denial to presence, a personal, pensive, and thought-provoking journey ensues. The Moon To Play With illuminates the beauty and complexity of parental love, acceptance, loss, and renewal. Read more at MoonToPlayWith.com.

Wendy Karasin holds a graduate degree from New York University. In addition to having raised four children, she has worked in educational publishing, owned and operated a diet center, and provided professional services as a wellness coach. She presently lives on Long Island, New York.

Written from the perspective of someone whose life has been challenged by mental illness, this book offers help, hope and inspiration to others struggling with psychological disorders. It provides information about mental illness in general — and mood disorders in particular — valuable tips about treatment and medication, and resources and organizations dedicated to helping those suffering from these disorders.

Surviving Mental Illness helps break through the fear and stigma of mental illness and focuses on how to find health and happiness. The author shares her personal journey: the heartbreak and challenges of bipolar disorder, and the joy of making her way back to mental health. Through her own story, she shows that help is out there, and, with a little faith, recovery is possible. "My faith in G-d has led me to recover in ways you cannot imagine. Life is having faith to overcome any obstacles, and that is what my recovery from mental illness is all about." — Linda Naomi Katz

Linda Naomi Katz was born on March 21, 1969 and raised as a modern orthodox Jew. Mental illness has been a factor throughout most of her life. Through the years, she was faced with challenges that were difficult to overcome, but has been working hard to achieve recovery. As part of her recovery from mental illness, she became active in the mental health field. Linda became a member with the National Alliance for Mentally Ill (now called National Alliance on Mental Illness) and has published articles in New York City Voices, a newspaper that helps fight against stigma and other issues pertaining to mental illness. Soon after, she found employment working for agencies that help others with mental illness reach their goals and dreams. Today, Linda is happily married, has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Queens College, and continues her work as a mental health advocate. Surviving Mental Illness is her first book. Read more at Surviving-Mental-Illness.com.

Becca Collins is a pistol, as they call such an irreverent, outspoken, and independent woman in 1976. As an outreach worker to migrants and seasonal farm workers who toil near her adopted home in upstate New York, she simply wants to do her job well — but fierce devotion to her clients is precisely why she's in danger now.

Quite by accident, she stumbles across a gruesome murder. Becca is now the target of threats and violence from those who would keep their actions secret. Alone and afraid, she welcomes Jack Hightower, a highly regarded football coach, into her life. In his company and with his support, she dares to dream of love and life beyond the terror of these frightening days.

Four decades later, not much has changed for the three-and-a-half million migrant farm workers who labor unsafely in America's fields. Then and now, children as young as 10 (and many younger than that) are allowed to work to help feed their families.

Based in part on the author's experiences, Chattanooga Girl is a murder mystery and a love story that provides glimpses into the world of migrant workers and of those who assist them.

Dottie Coakley was the second female Rural Manpower Representative for the New York State Department of Labor. She was selected by the feds to travel extensively, training monitor advocates on outreach. The football stories are from her close friend, National Football Hall of Famer Herbert E. Goldsmith, who died in 2013. Read more at ChattanoogaGirl.com.

You glance quickly at the clock, only to realize there are thirty minutes until the guests walk through your front door. Hopefully, that is, unless your neighbor shows up earlier than called for! Your heart starts thumping, realizing that the dishes still need to be set and the cheese board is waiting be to plated. Oh wait — your makeup still needs to be applied! Help!

Never again will this happen to you … at least not under my watch.

Nicole Meyer loves to be hostess and can’t wait to share with you all her hints and dishes that will bubble you over with party-planning courage. Whether it an intimate night of cocktails or family holiday feast for thirty, her serving suggestions and sassy, simple dishes will pull your event together in no time.

Cups, Sticks & Nibbles is a best friend, event planner, and cooking teacher all in one. Its inspiring suggestions are meant to rid you of those overwhelming panicky feelings and instead fill you up with newfound party fever excitement.

The mouth-watering nibbles featured in this book are handpicked from her blog, Nibbles By Nic, which she founded in 2011. Creations such as strawberry shortcake cheesecake shooters, pizza-meatloaf cupcakes, pineapple steak-roll-ups, and skillet stuffed eggplant are just a few of the menu items for you to include. Crowd-pleasing with easy-to-find ingredients and minimal steps involved give you every opportunity to celebrate and have the best time at your very own party!

Nicole Meyer is the founder and creator of the cooking and entertaining blog Nibbles By Nic. She enjoys teaching culinary workshops to children and adults, food writing, travel, reading, tennis, and aimlessly wandering around her favorite city, New York, sampling all of the culinary delights! Read more at
NibblesByNic.com.

Everyone wants a piece of Rosemary Ellis — her husband, her high-maintenance kid, her pregnant friend, the neighbor with the scary husband, the lonely guy with cancer, the local water-fight forces. Of course, she should give all she has to give. It’s what women do, right? With stark insight and wry humor, Love and Death in a Perfect World follows the arc of a modern woman’s life from tender adolescence to hard-edged middle age, offering a fresh, honest look at women’s lives today. Against a backdrop of birth and death, financial turmoil, and environmental clashes, Love and Death in a Perfect World explores deep questions about human nature and modern life: How do we find connection in fractured middle-class America? How do we navigate a world that does not behave as promised? And, where do we find the strength to rebuild our lives when expectations are shattered and the “wrong” people win? Gerber delivers a richly textured, yet unsentimental, portrait of a family that keeps on keeping on, and of a woman who expects to “live in the light”, but who must instead fight to find her own light in the darkness of everyday life.

Barbara Gerber has had a love affair with words since she learned to read. In her work as a writer, teacher, editor, coach, and presenter, the power of “the story” has been paramount in her life. In addition to placing her own journalistic work in local and national publications, Gerber enjoys working with students, friends, and clients as they craft their own writing, helping to elucidate their messages and bring forth the stories that need to be told. It was during a 2007 vacation with her husband and two children at Joshua Tree National Park that this book began to take shape. At times since that idyllic week of hiking and camping, it seemed as the story developed that Rosemary and her family were living in Gerber’s own home. A sequel to Love and Death in a Perfect World is already in the works. Originally from Seaford, NY, Gerber earned a degree in English literature from San Francisco State University and has lived in Santa Fe, NM, since 1987. After working in management and marketing in the natural foods industry, she shifted into freelance writing and then became a teacher in 2004. This is her first novel. Read more at BarbaraGerberAuthor.com.

Attempting to avoid the violence and drugs at Hibernia High, 16-year-old Tristen McCoy and his friends have transferred on a sports scholarship to the elite Curtis Hall boarding school. Hometown lacrosse heroes, the boys are tested as they attempt to assimilate into a student body where excelling is the norm. Tristen hones his leadership skills and sense of humor while finding his way in this new environment. He and his friends must rise to the challenge of competing with peers whose skills equal and perhaps surpass their own. Tristen's attention is soon captured by the beautiful and alluring Marcella Venier. Despite their different origins and upbringings, the two are drawn to each other. Marcella, compelled to live a clandestine life with dark secrets and a covert research mission, struggles with her desire to further her own designs and still remain in Tristen's world. Events spiral out of control, and a student is lost in the subterranean tunnels beneath the school's campus. Tristen and his friends stand accused of foul play, and in an effort to make things right, he enlists Marcella's help in organizing a search party. During the perilous rescue attempt, danger threatens to not only sever the bonds of friendship of the group, but take their lives as well. They hope they can survive until graduation.

Sammy the Tin Man

by Lisa C. Ockun

Our Price: $11.99

This book is dedicated to all the young boys and girls who have lost a mother or father at such an early age in their lives. I have been a teacher for 27 years and have come across so many saddened children who longer had a parent who they loved and missed dearly. This is a difficult subject for children to deal with, and a lot of people do not want to broach the subject. As a former teacher, I feel this subject needs to be dealt with. I want to let young children know that life does go on when they lose a parent, but they are still part of a family unit and are very much loved. It is difficult to lose a parent at any age which I have recently discovered, but dealing with the subject and talking about it can be therapeutic. Death is a part of life, and there are no rules about when a person's time is up.

Sammy was a real character who was a student of mine. His father died when he was 10. Sammy did play a part in our fifth grade production of The Wizard of Oz at P.S. 162. Our principal, Mrs. Durando, always encouraged the arts in our school. Sammy was a cheerful boy with a little sadness about him. He seemed to fight this sadness with his out going behavior. I promised his mother I would take good care of him as I did his brother a year before. Sammy did a super job as the scarecrow, was noticed by his peers as being a wonderful performer, and shocked all the teachers in the school including myself, with his special talent. His mother had no idea, he had no idea, and if it weren't for this fifth grade performance, no one would have realized the great talent this young man possessed. Thank you P.S. 162 and Mrs. Durando for helping this one young man. His goal after graduating high school was to pursue an acting career and attend college. We saved a family. The creative arts are so important for children for many reasons. I, myself, had school phobia and only seemed to come out of my shell when I was performing. Children read better, focus better, socialize better, and seem to thrive when they have this type of outlet. The system is failing in this aspect. The education system needs to see the arts as an integral part of education, not as an extra curricular activity. I have seen the difference in children, children who were falling by the wayside, failing, being labeled as learning disabled or a behavior problem, suffering, or whose multiple intelligence happened to be in the area of the arts.

Beautiful Eyes

by Lisa C. Ockun

Our Price: $11.99

Beautiful Eyes is a story that takes place in the early 1960's in an apartment complex in Bellerose, Queens, New York. Two next door neighbors, twelve year old Dougie, a boy with a genetic condition called Down Syndrome, and eight year old Lucy become best friends and spend an entire summer together. Sitting on the porch of their apartment complex becomes the highlight of their summer, until one very horrible day when Dougie becomes the target of two boys in his complex. They call him retard and make fun of his eyes. Though Dougie does have Down Syndrome, Lucy thought he had the most beautiful eyes in the world and never realized that he was different than most children his age. Lucy is confused and angry at how the two boys had treated her very best friend. With the help of her mother, Lucy learns a life lesson about diversity.

Lines That Rhyme is a collection of rhymes whereby children try to guess the answers to questions via clues presented within the rhymes. Lines That Rhyme inspires the child to draw on acquired knowledge and guess the answer before looking at the picture answer on the back of the page. It also gives children the ability to associate words with pictures.

Mark Tepper, the author of Lines That Rhyme, and his spouse live in Plainview, NY where they raised their two children. Mark works for Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, NY and the U.S. Postal Service. He spent three and a half years in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, and attended Nassau Community College in Garden City, NY and Hofstra University in Uniondale, NY. In his spare time, Mark writes children's stories, thus allowing him to keep in touch with his child within.

Captain No Beard and his pirate ship the Flying Dragon set sail for a voyage of the imagination with his fearless crew of four: First Mate Hallie, Mongo the Monkey, Linus the Loudmouthed Lion, and Fribbit the Floppy Frog. Once they board his bed, their world is transformed into a magical vessel, sailing the seven seas on dangerous and exciting adventures! "Roman charms with an imaginative, whimsical picture book that will entertain even the oldest pirates." – Kirkus Reviews

Named to Kirkus Reviews' "Best of 2012" for Children's Indie Books for her first book, Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born. Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life has also received the Star of Remarkable Merit and has won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for 2012.

Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience
A Captain No Beard Story (Series Book #2)

by Carole P. Roman

Our Price: $9.99

The crew of the Flying Dragon are sailing again. This time, new crew member Pepper Parrot is having a hard time keeping up with the drills. Captain No Beard and his mates join together to help Pepper achieve her goals with patience and tolerance.

Captain No Beard, his First Mate Hallie and the crew of the Flying Dragon pirate ship are excited to welcome a new crew member – Pepper Parrot – today. But the drills are a major problem for Pepper Parrot to complete correctly since she does not know her left from her right. Her new friends show her some understanding, patience and a special trick that encourage her to have the confidence to become a real crew member. Her new discovery makes her look at herself in a more positive, confident way.

Teamwork and helping each other is the theme of this humorous children's book which also includes a subtle teaching tool for dyslexia. The crew of the Flying Dragon shows young readers that there is no need to be sad or frustrated over situations since we each have the ability to overcome when others around us are willing to patiently help and guide us towards progress and success. While we may not yet have the skills we desire at this time, each of us is able to improve and learn with confidence and guidance. So, when we find patience is needed and getting help looks bleak, the solution-oriented crew of the Flying Dragon can uplift anyone's spirits.

Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience, the second book in the Captain No Beard series, received 5 Stars from ForeWord Review-Clarion Review.

Stuck in the Doldrums: A Lesson in Sharing
A Captain No Beard Story (Series Book #3)

by Carole P. Roman

Our Price: $9.99

When the wind stops blowing, Captain No Beard and his crew, including First Mate Hallie, Linus the Lion, Fribbet the Frog, Mongo the Monkey and Polly the Parrot, are stuck on a desert island. Marooned with nothing to do, they begin to play and enjoy themselves. However, Captain No Beard has other ideas, bossing his crew around and making playtime cheerless for everyone. Soon, Captain No Beard decides he has had enough and storms off. When his ship is attacked by a giant squid, he realizes he needs his crew more than ever. Captain No Beard and his crew show young readers it's important to cooperate and share your belongings. The crew teaches us that if you want to have friends, then you must be a friend too.

Captain No Beard and his crew are at it again, but when the wind stops blowing, The Flying dragon gets stranded on a desert island. With his First Mate Hallie, Linus the Lion, Fribbet the Frog, Mongo the Monkey and Polly the Parrot, Captain No Beard has to find a way to use teamwork and understanding to solve the problem at hand. However, when Captain No Bread gets bossy and make playtime miserable for his crew, he soon finds himself alone and helpless when a giant squid attacks. Just when the Captain is in over his head, his faithful crew reunites and teaches him an important lesson.

Full of adventure and silliness, this lighthearted children's book teaches the importance of compromise, cooperation, taking turns and sharing. The crew of the Flying Dragon also demonstrates that even when there are disagreements, friends support one another. In additional to valuable lessons, Captain No Beard's adventure is full of the type of danger and excitement that's sure to keep young readers captivated and attentive from beginning to end. With undeniable charm, Captain No Beard and his crew teach young readers valuable lessons in life that can keep anyone out of the doldrums.

"His crew's frankness in explaining how to be both a friend and boss will teach children to speak up when their friends aren't being as considerate as they should be. Honesty and a genuine apology help heal the misunderstanding, giving way to cheerful fun and a beautiful lesson for kids. Once again, Roman delights with whimsical pictures, clever test, important lessons and plenty of pirate lingo." – Kirkus Reviews

Captain No Beard and the crew of the Flying Dragon welcome a new crew member when Cabin Girl Cayla joins the ship. Responsible for his little sister, Captain No Beard is not very happy, because he finds his newest charge a distraction. When faced with danger, the Captain must find a way to escape. While learning valuable lessons about strangers, the crew realizes not to judge somebody because they are young or small. Strength comes in all sizes!

When the Flying Dragon gets a new crew member, Captain No Beard soon discovers that every person is valuable in his or her own way. Responsible for his new crew member and baby sister, the Captain becomes unhappy with his situation and begins to think that being the Captain is hard work. However, when the dreaded Barnabas the Scurvey Dog begins to chase the Flying Dragon, the fearless Captain has to put aside his problems and keep everyone safe. In their race to escape, the Captain, his loyal First Mate Hallie, Mongo the Monkey, Linus the Lion, Fribbet the Frog and Polly the Parrot soon find out that help can come from the most unlikely of places.

The Captain's new adventure is the charming fourth entry in the Captain No Beard children's book series. With a delightful message that teaches children not to judge a book by its cover, this exciting journey will excite young readers as well as teach them valuable life lessons. While stressing the importance of never marginalizing someone because they don't look like they can help or keep up, the adorable crew teaches children the importance of not talking to strangers. Filled with thrilling adventure, this amusing book will teach children the important lessons of their lives, all while keeping them riveted from the very beginning.

Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards 2013. "Another victory on the high seas for Roman." – Kirkus Reviews

The Treasure of Snake Island
A Captain No Beard Story (Series Book #5)

by Carole P. Roman

Our Price: $9.99

After a fierce battle with a storm, the crew goes in search of treasure. Alexander, that is, Captain No Beard uses a map to locate it on the ominous sounding Snake Island. Bravely they dig until they find the best treasure ever!

The crew of the Flying Dragon is together again exploring the vast and beautiful oceans in search of treasure. A colorful sunrise sparks talk of how important books are in learning things. This is followed by a search for treasure, danger and a great reward. Once again, the crew learns that through teamwork, friendship and cooperation there is nothing that can stop them from exploring and discovering the treats the world has to offer.

Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for Carole. While she is still working in her family business, writing this very successful series has enabled Carole to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.

There is a storm brewing on the Flying Dragon, and it's not about the weather. When the crew finds themselves parched and not enough juice to go around, blame falls on Hallie's friend Matie the goat. Divided, they square off, ready for a fight and Captain No Beard must teach his crew that not only is bullying wrong, they must learn to value and respect each and every member of the crew. Watch the crew of the Flying Dragon learn an important lesson about being a true friend.

Author Carole P. Roman has just added another gem to her lineup of children's books in the Captain No Beard series. Roman's stories are swashbuckling adventures with a heartfelt message, and her new book is no exception. In The Crew Goes Coconuts!, children learn how to confront bullying in a healthy manner that seeks to educate rather than shame. Roman's book empowers children to resist peer pressure by understanding that everyone has both strengths and weaknesses.

As the imaginations of cousins Hallie and Alexander bring their stuffed animals to life, the crew of critters is stranded alongside a desert island. The friends wish to refresh their thirst; however, the newcomer to the ship makes a critical error that draws the negative attention of the other shipmates. Miffed by Matty the Goat's mistake, the parched crew turns on the hapless greenhorn with cruel taunts and personal attacks. Captain No Beard steps in and expertly navigates the rough waters of bullying with sensible leadership that leaves everyone with a good taste in their mouths.

Learning to achieve success is complicated for children when schoolmates begin to taunt, bully and tease. The Crew Goes Coconuts! gently explores this ubiquitous issue in the safe environment of a fantastical story with familiar and approachable characters who quickly discover how to turn the situation around.

Hallie and her mother go to the yoga studio. Hallie wants to join her mom's yoga class, but she isn't allowed. She complains to the babysitter, who gently guides her through four yoga poses. Hallie learns that not only is yoga easy, but fun as well.

Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be.

If You Were Me and Lived In... A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World is an exciting new children's series that focuses on learning and appreciating the many cultures that make up our small planet. Perfect for children from Pre-K to age 8, this book is a ground-breaking new experience in elementary education. Interesting facts and colorful illustrations help children realize that although the world is large, people all over the globe are basically the same.

Awarding winning author and former social studies teacher Carole P. Roman has combined her love of teaching with a fun new way to learn about people and different cultures around the world.
If You Were Me and Lived In... combines Carole's teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us.

Join Whaley on his big adventure in the ocean as he meets whales of all different sizes.

Written and illustrated by 5 year old Alexander Luke, and presented by his grandmother, award-winning children's author Carole P. Roman, this oceanic adventure of whale-sized proportions will teach youngsters about the different whales that live in the oceans.

A Day with Degas is a fun, adventurous and interactive art history book for children. Paris is excited to paint her ballet dance trio in her mom's (Ms. Simone's) art class. Her inspiration was the style of the artist Edgar Degas. She was able to capture her own movements, but had difficulty illustrating the gracefulness of her friends Justine and Mary. She wished to meet Monsieur Degas for artistic guidance. Together with her best friend Manet, they say the magic word three times: "Wackadoey, wackadoey, wackadoey" and then away they blewy to the past to meet Degas in Paris, France. Degas teaches them to draw, erase, perfect and redraw. Although the artist is an impressionist painter, he takes his time completing his works and Paris learns that she should do the same. She returns to ballet school to sketch Justine and Mary and the outcome is perfection! Read A Day with Degas and you will experience a "Manet Day", learn to use your imagination to improve your art and feel coo-cooey, wackadoey. So what do you say?

Sima Levy was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and moved with her family to New York at the age of eight. Sima was inspired to teach art history to children in a way that encourages their creativity and interests, rather than being intimidating or boring! Seeing the children's eyes brighten and their ideas form is what motivated her to create Mothers Art World (MAW) and its series of art history books, teachers' curriculums, songs and videos. Art helps children use both sides of their brain, embracing expression and imagination to create a beautiful masterpiece! She studied economics and sociology at Queens College in New York, followed by an internship at Lehman Hutton on Wall Street. Her passion for the arts began when she was a buyer and merchandiser for Le Firme and later for Akris's at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Sima co-runs a program called "Learning to Look" at the Schechter Day School. She introduced MAW to Cohen's Medical Center and has the absolute joy watching children immerse in art and experience their own "imaginative ways". The characters in the book, Paris, Manet, Mary, Justine, Mays and Ms. Simone, all derived from her wish to bring the gifts of imagination, music, fun and facts to children. Her daughter Paris has inspired the character Paris. The rest of the MAW kids were inspired by her sons and students. Ms. Simone is a reflection of how the author teaches and displays art throughout her classroom. Sima is dedicated to her charity works. She's a member of the Women's Health Committee at Katz Women's Hospital, a member of the Autism Committee, and a member of the Sunrise Day Camp, a camp dedicated to children with cancer and their siblings, and a member of the UJA-Federation. Sima enjoys spending time with her husband Jason and her children Jordan, Logan and Paris. Most evenings, she can be found sitting in front her the computer dreaming about the next adventure for Paris, Manet and the gang. Read more at MothersArtWorld.com.

Ms. Simone’s art class is studying the life and works of the impressionist artist, Pierre-August Renoir. Mary is fascinated with Renoir’s paintings of cafés and outdoors sights. She wishes to meet with Renoir and his friends in France to capture her own Parisian scenes and truthful moments. Together with her friend Manet, they say the magic word three times: “Wackadoey, wackadoey, wackadoey" and then away they blow to the past to meet Renoir in Montmartre, Paris, France. The artist teaches them how to capture snapshots of real life quickly with fluid brush strokes before the moment and light are lost. Mary and Manet also learn how the artist observes and paints flickering lights, children, women and very happy folks. Mary returns to her art class and paints what she observed in France. To her illustration, she adds her friends Renoir and Manet in a candid position. The outcome is superb! Read A Rendezvous with Renoir and you will experience a "Manet Day", learn to use your imagination to improve your art and feel coo-cooey, wackadoey. So what do you say?

Sima studied economics and sociology at Queens College in New York followed by an internship at Lehman Hutton on Wall Street. As a buyer and merchandiser for Le Firme and later for Akris at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City, Sima returned to her more creative passions. Sima
teaches and co-runs an art program called “Learning to Look” at the Schechter Day School. She introduced Mothers Art World (MAW) to Cohen’s Medical Center and has had the absolute joy of watching children immersed in art while forgetting their pain and their illnesses – even if just for two hours. Watching them experience their own “imaginative ways" impresses in Sima the power of creativity and artistic expression. Art helps children use both sides of their brains, embracing expression and imagination to create something wonderful. Teaching art history to youngsters in a way that encourages their creativity and interests rather than being intimidating is what inspires Sima to teach. The love she has for seeing their eyes brighten and their ideas form is what motivated the creation of MAW and its series of art history books, teachers’ curriculums, coloring books, songs and online projects. Paris, Manet, Mary, Mays, Justine and Ms. Simone all derive from Sima's wish to bring the gifts of imagination, music, fun and facts to children. Her own daughter with the same name inspired the character of Paris. The rest of the MAW kids were inspired by Sima's boys Jordan and Logan as well as the children that she has watched learn and grow while teaching them about art and creativity. Ms. Simone is a reflection of how Sima teaches and displays art throughout the classroom. She wants children to be able to experience art history in a way that inspires them to begin their own creations. All children (and adults too!) should have the experience of being told, “Great job,” “You can do it,” and “Bravo!” Making art gives children just that opportunity: to express, learn and feel a sense of accomplishment. Charitable work is a central part of Sima's life. She is a member of the Women’s Health Committee at Katz Women’s Hospital; a member of the Autism Committee on Long Island; is involved at Sunrise Day Camp, a camp dedicated to children with cancer; and a member of the UJA-Federation. She enjoys spending time with her husband and children. Most nights, when all are asleep, Sima can be found sitting at the computer dreaming about the next adventure for her six characters that she now calls "family". Have a fun and wackadoey experience! Read more at MothersArtWorld.com.

Mays is a poet and artist in Ms. Simone’s art appreciation class. The class is learning about the history and works of the Post-Impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh. As Mays gains knowledge about the style of Van Gogh, he realizes he has a lot in common with the artist. Like Van Gogh, Mays uses his feelings to guide his painting and writing, but he has a dilemma: he doesn’t know which to do first – compose his poem or illustrate. Mays’ classmates Paris and Manet have a secret magic word that takes them to “The Land of Artists” and they decide to share their secret with Mays. They say “Wackadoey” three times and then bingo! They’re in the Netherlands with Mr. Van Gogh. The artist teaches them to quickly capture their feelings of real life situations with heavy paint and thick brush strokes. He assures Mays there is no set order when one is expressing oneself. Find out what happens when Mays returns back to art class. Read A Visit with Vincent Van Goghand you will experience a "Manet Day", learn to use your imagination to improve your art and feel coo-cooey, wackadoey. So what do you say?

Sima Levy created Mothers Art World (MAW) to give all children access to the world of art. Art is an essential part of every child’s development, helping them use both sides of their brain while embracing expression and imagination to create something wonderful. Studying art helps children understand the connections, shapes, colors and ideas that exist in every artist’s work. Teaching art history to children in a way that encourages their creativity and interest rather than being intimidating (or boring!) is the inspiration behind MAW’s Meet the Artist Series. Sima introduced MAW art appreciation to Cohen’s Medical Center and runs, trains and teaches at the Schechter Day School of Nassau County. Ms. Simone is a reflection of how Sima Levy teaches and displays art throughout the classroom. "I want children to be inspired by art history in a way that encourages them to begin their own creations. All children (and adults too!) need to experience being told ‘great job,’ ‘you can do it’, and ‘aren’t you awesome?’ Art gives children just that opportunity to express, learn and feel accomplishment. Charitable work remains a central part of my life. I’m a member of the Women’s Health Committee at Katz Women’s Hospital, a member of the Autism Committee, involved at Sunrise Day Camp, a camp dedicated to children with cancer, and a member of UJA’s Connection." Read more at MothersArtWorld.com.

Lee Seelig, third generation owner of his family’s meat business, brings to life a treasured tradition of journeying to the butcher shop in this fun and heartwarming children’s book. Children tend to look forward to an approaching event — the barbecue with drinks and family and friends and, most importantly, food! But Seelig reminds us that an essential part of the magic comes from the meat market.

Follow a mother and child in an errand-turned-adventure, as they visit the butcher shop on Main Street, full of friendly butchers who share treats and cheerfully show off their slicing and prepping skills of the myriad of meats and cheeses in their shop. They know that the secret to perfect steaks and hamburgers is the artistry of the cut!

Then, it’s on to what we’ve all been waiting for — the grill, where Daddy takes over to create the most amazing smells and tastes. This draws out family and friends who gather in the backyard, eating and laughing and telling stories.

Mr. Seelig’s is a sweet story that reminds us to cherish the little things — like a juicy burger, a yard full of loved ones, and sliding under the bed covers with a full tummy. Read more at
ilovegoingtothebutcher.com.

Lee Seelig is the third generation owner and president of Farmingdale Meat Market and Main Street Wholesale Meats (Est. 1946). Reading to his two children at night and wanting a children’s book to sell at his meat market inspired him to write I Love Going to the Butcher. Mr. Seelig lives in Huntington, NY, with his two delightful children, Zoe and Jonah, and his amazing wife, Lainie.

"Like love and friendship and the wind, too... The best way to get them is to be the best you."

When Sammy's grandparents arrive to babysit for a few days, she is surprised to find that they haven't brought her anything — no toy, no teddy bear, no book. Grandma and grandpa propose a deal: if she works for it, they will get her something special. She works to earn a kite, but something is missing to make it fly — the wind! Read more and learn the inspiration behind the book at CanYouBuyMeTheWind.com.

Steven Schoenfeld grew up on Long Island, NY, where he still lives with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, a part time writer of children's books and has had a successful career on Wall Street for the past 17 years.

Max and Voltaire is the first in a series of illustrated books about how embracing both the familiar and the different can make our lives continually interesting and rewarding. The messages about making new friends, adapting to change, tolerance, lending a helping hand and getting along with others are gently handled through the filter of a cat, Max, and a dog, Voltaire, and a supporting cast of furry friends and bipeds. Their touching and humorous adventures in a small town in France and in other countries challenge us to think about how special every day can be and that no matter how bad a situation is, it can change for the better. A fun read for children and animal lovers of all ages, Max & Voltaire: Getting to Know You, is a middle grade (8-12 years of age) illustrated chapter book about how embracing both the familiar and the different can make our lives exciting and rewarding.

"In her first in a large format illustrated chapter book series for early fluent readers, author Mina Mauerstein Bail has written a two-part story (each with six chapters) that encourages readers to get along with others.

In part one, readers are introduced to a kitten named Max that has been adopted by the Cupcake family. The Cupcake family has a dog at their home, so Max resides permanently in the bakery they own. While he enjoys the company and snacking on croissants during the daytime, he becomes lonely during the evenings when the Cupcake family returns home to their dog. Madame Cupcake finds him a new home with a lovely customer, Madame Rosemarie, who already has three cats. Each cat has their own personality and, through mutual respect, all of the cats learn to adjust to each other’s traits so that they can all get along. Something they all have in common, however, is a fear of dogs.

In part two, Madame Rosemarie adopts a dog that was in need of more attention than his family could offer. This dog is aptly named after a famous French writer, Voltaire, who wrote about tolerance and respect for others. Once again the cats must adjust to this newcomer and in doing so they learn that there is no need to be afraid of others simply because they are different.

The author has used short sentence structures for beginner readers; and color illustrations break up the text of the easy to digest chapters. While taking in a story of new beginnings and the power of kindness and helping others, children will enjoy the fun names (Madame Cupcake), the snippets of humor that are injected throughout, and the French backdrop and glossary of French words.

Max & Voltaire: Getting to Know You would make a nice read-aloud for a group setting and is also suited to individuals who are newly independent readers." — The Children’s Book Review

Mina Mauerstein Bail, a mother, grandmother and sociologist, was born in Italy and grew up in upstate New York. She has traveled extensively and has lived and worked in many countries around the world. She resides with her husband and family in New York City. This is her first children's book. Read more at MaxAndVoltaire.com and facebook.com/MaxAndVoltaire.

The Land of Buzzlewic is a whimsical, wonderful island, removed from the rest of the world by a mighty turquoise ocean! In the land of Buzzlewic, the happy sun smiles by day, and the sleepy moon glows in the starry sky by night. Decked out in bright colors with gentle smiles on their faces, the Buzzlewics are innocent, silly, wacky and wise! Buzzlewics have been around for a long time. Tricia Courtney and her husband Richard Courtney, an accomplished children’s book illustrator, worked together to illustrate this first book — Floppy Sue’s Birthday Adventure. Floppy Sue has turned six years old. She will have an adventure of a lifetime on her birthday and finished with. But, with age comes responsibility. It is important for all of us to pull our weight in a family setting.

Tricia has been creating these lovable characters since grade school, sometimes doodling in her notebook rather than taking notes in class! Richard has illustrated many published works for the juvenile market, including several
titles of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.

When she first saw the Courtneys’ illustrations, writer Katy Schrader was delighted by the tiny residents of Buzzelwic, finding them both sweet and humorous. What would life be like in the beautiful Land of Buzzelwic? How would the little Buzzelwics spend their time? Imagining answers to those questions led Katy, an award-winning journalist and an educator, to write Floppy Sue’s Birthday Adventure a fantasy that will enchant children while presenting them with a valuable lesson about life. When she isn’t creating more Buzzelwic adventures, Katy teaches, writes freelance feature stories and spends time with her husband and teenage daughters.

If a tree falls in the woods, did Snarl Fig cause it or Nutsy prevent it? In this fully illustrated children's book, readers will get to meet Snarl Fig, a monster with an unusual calling, and Nutsy, a squirrel on a mission. They have one interesting thing in common. Watch how their lives intertwine in this never-ending story! Read more at Snarlfig.com.

A Duck's Tail: The Story of a Big Duck and the Small Town That Loves Her

Story by Rose Nigro

Illustrations by Tom H. John

Our Price: $26.95

"A Duck’s Tail tells the story of The Big Duck, which sits in Flanders, a hamlet of Southampton, New York. The story is a bit “fractured” and I hope the children in your lives and you will enjoy this version.

Built in 1931 by a Riverhead duck farmer named Martin Mauer, The Big Duck has been moved several times. In 1988, she had to be moved from her ‘nest’ near my home in Flanders to make room for a proposed hosing development. She was moved to a small patch of Pine Barrens land down the road and at the edge of town. The homes were never built and eventually, thanks to the effort of several community groups, Suffolk County and Southampton Town, The Big Duck was moved back to her farm in Flanders.

But, this is also a story about people. People who wanted something done made a plan and worked with their local government to bring it to fruition.

The Big Duck is now on the National Registry of Historic Places and is one of Long Island’s most famous (and adorable) landmarks. The gift shop inside is open seven days a week. Restored barns on Big Duck Ranch contain exhibits on Long Island duck farming. Behind her are lovely views of our cherished wetlands, bays and sanctuaries." — Rose Nigro

Jo Jo Bean is excited to celebrate his fourth birthday with his friends and wants to celebrate it every day. When h wishes upon a magic bubble, he quickly realizes how important it is for everyone to celebrate his or her own birthday.

Come join Jo Jo Bean, along with his friends Twisty Tina and Worry Wendell, in The Real Life Adventures of Jo Jo Bean book series as he explores a grown-up world through his vivid imagination and curiosity. Through captivating narration, the Jo Jo Bean theme song and songs specific to the story content, your preschooler will develop problem solving and social skills right along with his new set of friends. This series is for children ages 3 to 6 years old.

For song snippets, narration and to read more about Jo Jo, his friends and other adventures visit TraceWilkinsFrancis.com.

It Feels Good to Be Me!

Written by Dana Livoti with Anne Oliveri

Our Price: $19.99

Did you know that your natural state of being is to feel good?

When you are feeling good you are unstoppable! You are a creator! You are limitless! You are divine! This is who you truly are.

Learn to be a conscious creator by paying attention to your thoughts, feelings and visualizations. Know that this is a choice you make. For when you feel worried, afraid, nervous or doubtful, it is your true self nudging you to shift your thoughts back to what feels good.

Create the life you were meant to live by thinking, feeling and seeing the true essence of you. You are spectacular! You are grateful. You are peaceful. You are safe. You are secure, and, most of all, you are empowered to make all your dreams come true.

Go ahead, say it — “It feels good to be me!”

Dana has been teaching in the South Huntington School District for 16 years. She has taught second grade and currently teaches first. Dana received two Suffolk BOCES Educational Technology Integration Grant Awards in the areas of Character Education and Writing. She has a BS degree in Art Therapy, an MS degree in Elementary Education, and an MS degree in Instructional Technology, all from LIU CW Post. Dana lives in Halesite, NY with her husband, Joe, and stepson, Joey, along with her two dogs, Jack and Yugi, and cat, Prego.

Anne was a first grade teacher in the South Huntington School District for 13 years. She received the Barnes and Noble Teacher of the Year Award in 2013 in the local region. Her teaching career has taken on a new look for she is now devoting her time to bringing the teachings of It Feels Good To Be Me! to as many children, parents and educators that she can reach. Anne has a BS degree in Marketing and Management from Siena College and an MS in Elementary Education from L.I.U. C.W. Post. She lives in Greenlawn, NY with her husband Anthony, children, Lauren and Scott, and her cat, Charlotte.

With that thought, Gracie Fisher steps into her backyard on a moonlit summer night. Leaving her sleeping parents behind, following her nervous cat, Roscoe, and a kitten harboring an ancient secret, she embarks on an adventure leading far beyond her father's vegetable garden, to a domed forest-city tethered to the Moon. There, she faces a terrible danger from the prehistoric past and a grave threat to all humanity.

Chermpf is a fantasy adventure for advanced middle grade readers. It will also appeal to people of all ages who suspect their cats know more about the workings of the universe than they let on, such as folding time and space and the potential menace of winged spiders.

William S. Russell III lives in New York with his lovely wife, Susan, and three cats, Miss Meep, Joon-Yip and, of course, Chermpf. In a previous one of his nine lives, William was a post-secondary special education teacher. He hopes to be a steeplejack in the next. Read more at borderstationpress.com and facebook.com/BorderStationPress.

A children's book about two different mental illnesses, depression and mania, Peter and Lisa makes it easier for children to understand these mental conditions. It is a story about two people affected with such illness, and how they got better and recovered through the proper medication and necessary support by family and friends. Charles and Linda Baron Katz's Peter and Lisa: A Mental Illness Children's Story manifests the true essence of love and support to aid us overcome every storm that may pass.

Coauthors Linda Baron Katz and husband Charles Katz, raised in the Jewish faith, both suffer from mental illness. Charles was diagnosed with depression and Linda with bipolar disorder as young adults. Both faced many difficult challenges as a result of their mental illnesses and struggled hard to reach recovery. Since then, Charles and Linda have been committed to the cause of educating the community about mental illness. Linda Baron Katz, also known as Linda Naomi Katz, is also the author of her Surviving Mental Illness: My Story (featured above on this page).

Charles and Linda, unable to have children of their own, decided to show, through their writings, how important it is for parents and children to understand that, with the right kind of help, mental illness can be treated and people can live normal, healthy, happy lives. When children read Peter and Lisa, it will brighten their eyes to a whole new level of mental health education they have yet to experience. Read more at Surviving-Mental-Illness.com.

The combination of her two passions and her personal experiences helped author Patti Galietta to arrive at writing her story from several perspectives, all of which are enlightening.

Patti is a full-time real estate sales professional specializing in active senior communities. She finds great pleasure in assisting her clients in the transition from one phase of their lives to the next.

Patti has also volunteered as a religious education teacher of grade school children for the past decade. Her relationship with the children and the seniors in addition to her personal experiences inspired her to write this short story entitled Miracle of the Butterscotch Candy. Read more at PattiGalietta.com.